"THEY GAVE THANKS FOR SAFETY, HEALTH, LOVE & FAITH"

A NATIONAL PROCLAMATION OF THANKSGIVING

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) The first National Proclamation of Thanksgiving was issued by the Continental Congress in November 1777 and the first Thanksgiving Day celebrated under the new Constitution of the United States fell on November 26, 1789. Our first POTUS, George Washington, proclaimed "a day of public thanksgiving and prayer."

The first Thanksgiving in America was celebrated by Pilgrims* and their Native-American guests after the fall harvest of 1621.  According to James Baker, vice-president of research at Plimoth Plantation, the event occurred sometime between September 21 and November 11.  Baker pinpoints the "most likely" date as September 29.

According to Edward Winslow**, the meal, cooked by four adult Pilgrim women, their daughters and servants, was enjoyed by 90 Native-Americans and 53 Pilgrims. While there has been some debate as to whether the first Thanksgiving was held in Massachusetts or Virginia, James Baker says...

"The American holiday's true origin was the New England Calvinist Thanksgiving." 

On November 5, 1963, President John F. Kennedy issued Proclamation 3560 which stated...

"Over three centuries ago, our forefathers in Virginia and Massachusetts...set aside a time of thanksgiving....they gave thanks for their safety, for the health of their children, for the fertility of their fields, for the love which bound them together and for the faith which united them with their God."


*Pilgrims were Separatists who believed the Church of England was beyond reform & chose to leave England for the Netherlands & then to America.  By the early 19th century, the term 'Pilgrims' was applied to all Englishmen & women who settled Plimoth even if some were not Separatists. Those who were of religious faith called themselves 'Saints' and referred to those who were not as 'Strangers'.

**Edward Winslow (1595-1655) was born in England & became a leader of the Separatist Puritans (Pilgrims).  EW was a leader both on the Mayflower & in the Plymouth Colony.

SOURCES

"Who were the Pilgrims?", Plimoth Plantation, www.plimoth.org

"Presidential Proclamation 3560," John F. Kennedy, November 5, 1963, The American Presidency Project, www.presidencyucsb.edu/

"Thanksgiving at the White House 1963", www.historyinpieces.com/

The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth

by Jennie A. Brownscombe (1914)

Stedelijk Museum, De Lakenhal

A MISERABLE TWO MONTH VOYAGE AHEAD

MAYFLOWER DEPARTS FOR AMERICA WITH PILGRIMS ABOARD

Plymouth, England (JFK+50) On September 16, 1620, the Mayflower, with 102 passengers on board, departed from here at the English port of Plymouth  bound for America.

The Mayflower, a merchant ship, had made the voyage many times but this was the first time she carried passengers.  They included a number of religious dissenters*, who referred to themselves as Saints, and entrepreneurs who were known by them as Strangers.

The Separatists were in quest of establishing a new colony in America far from the control of the state Church of England.

The Mayflower, which was about 100 feet in length and 25 feet wide, was commanded by Master Christopher Jones**.  He had been with the ship for eleven years.   Despite being a ship of trade, the Mayflower was heavily armed for protection. On this voyage she carried a cargo of 180 tons.

The ship sported 3 masts and 3 levels:  main deck, gun deck and cargo hold. Her crew numbered about 50 men.

*Governor William Bradford of the Plymouth Colony referred to his group in his Journal as "pilgrimes," but the term Pilgrim was not applied to these people until the early 1800s.

*Christopher Jones (1570-1622) was born in London.  CJ remained in Plymouth for six months giving time for his crew to recover from disease.  CJ died at the age of 52 shortly after returning to England from a voyage to France.

Crewman on the Mayflower II

Plymouth, Massachusetts

Photo by John White (1986)

THE FIRST THANKSGIVING

JFK+50:  Volume 7, No. 2139

THANKSGIVING TRADITION: MYTH OR REALITY?

Plymouth, Massachusetts (JFK+50) 395 years ago, according to tradition, Englishmen and Native American Indians celebrated the First Thanksgiving, an event which was proclaimed a national holiday by President Abraham Lincoln* in 1863.

As we celebrate and give thanks on this Thanksgiving Day 2016, we might ask how much of the tradition is true?   According to Melissa Chan of Time, there's not "that much in common" with the "First Thanksgiving" and the "all-American holiday recognized today."

The first Thanksgiving celebrated on November 21, 1621 was attended by some 140 persons....90 Wampanoag Indians and 50 Englishmen.  The English sat at tables while the Indians sat on the ground.

The Wampanoags traveled two days to reach Plimoth Plantation and the festivities lasted three days.  The menu included deer, brought by the Indians, wild turkey, duck, goose and fish.

That's all well and good, but what about the Native-American version. Ramona Peters** discounts the background of the event saying that the Pilgrims were firing off cannon and guns in celebration so the Wampanoags came to see what that was all about and then decided to "hang out" for a while.
So the Indians were not exactly "invited" since the Englishmen would have considered them "savage" in those days.

While the English gave thanks to their God, the Wampanoag gave thanks to their "first mother," their "human mother," and to "Mother Earth."

*According to Gala Courey Toensing, Lincoln made up "the theme of Pilgrims & Indians eating happily together" as "a nice unity story" in the midst of Civil War.  So much for "Honest Abe."

**Ramona Peters is the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Historical Preservation Officer.  

SOURCES

"What Really Happened at the First Thanksgiving:  The Wampanoag Side of the Tale," by Gala Courey Toensing, November 21, 2012, Indian Country, www.indiancountrymedianetwork.com/

"What We Really Know About the First Thanksgiving," by Melissa Chan, November 22, 2016, www.time.com/

The First Thanksgiving

by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris (1899)

Library of Congress Image

FIRST CHILD OF ENGLISH PARENTS BORN IN NEW ENGLAND

JFK+50:  Volume 7, No. 2135

PEREGRINE WHITE:  THE FIRST NEW ENGLANDER BORN IN AMERICA

Massachusetts Bay (JFK+50) Peregrine White* was born 396 years ago today, November 20, 1620 aboard the Mayflower anchored in Massachusetts Bay.  He was the first child born of English parents in present-day New England.

The name Peregrine was taken from the Latin word peregrinus which means pilgrim.  The baby's parents were William and Susanna White who are believed to be from the London merchant group aboard the Mayflower rather than the Leiden Holland religious group.

Other members of the White family included a son, Resolved White and two servants.  On display in the Pilgrim Hall Museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts is a cradle believed to have been brought aboard the Mayflower by the Whites for their new baby.

Peregrine White grew up to be a farmer and was active in the military activities of the Plymouth Colony rising to the rank of Captain.  He and his wife, Sarah Bassett, had six children.  He died on July 20, 1704 at the age of 83 and, according to Caleb Johnson's Mayflower History.com, was given "the only known newspaper obituary for anyone associated with the Mayflower voyage."

*Peregrine White (1620-1704) lived out his life in Marshfield, Massachusetts, and according to his obituary..."although he was in the former part of his life extravagant...was much reformed in his later years."

JFK+50 NOTE

I know it is fashionable for Americans to make they claim that they are descendants of Mayflower passengers but, even though my name is White, I cannot make that claim.  In tracing our family tree, we can only go back as far as Alexander White who was born in 1812.  We believe that he came to Tennessee from Virginia.

SOURCE

"Caleb Johnson's Mayflower History.com, www.mayflowerhistory.com/

Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor

by William Halsall (1882)