The “First Thanksgiving”
In the autumn of 1621, the surviving Mayflower Pilgrims held a week-long harvest celebration and were joined for three days by a large delegation of Wampanoag men. That 1621 celebration is remembered as the “First Thanksgiving” in Plymouth.
Primary Sources on the “First Thanksgiving”
There are two – and only two – primary source descriptions of the harvest event in Plymouth in the fall of 1621.
Both accounts are written from the English colonists’ perspective. They don’t reflect the outlook or experience of the Wampanoag people who were present. The most detailed account of the early celebration is a letter by Edward Winslow on December 11, 1621. Winslow’s letter was published in the first printed account of the Plymouth colony, called Mourt’s Relation (London, 1622).
“our harvest being gotten in, our governour sent foure men on fowling, that so we might after a speciall manner rejoyce together, after we had gathered the fruits of our labours ; they foure in one day killed as much fowle, as with a little helpe beside, served the Company almost a weeke, at which time amongst other Recreations, we exercised our Armes, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and amongst the rest their greatest king Massasoyt, with some ninetie men, whom for three dayes we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five Deere, which they brought to the Plantation and bestowed on our Governour, and upon the Captaine and others. And although it be not always so plentifull, as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so farre from want, that we often wish you partakers of our plentie.”
In modern spelling
“our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together, after we had gathered the fruits of our labors; they four in one day killed as much fowl, as with a little help beside, served the Company almost a week, at which time amongst other Recreations, we exercised our Arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and amongst the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five Deer, which they brought to the Plantation and bestowed on our Governor, and upon the Captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful, as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want, that we often wish you partakers of our plenty.”
The second primary source is a more general description of that fall by William Bradford in his journal. Bradford was the second Governor of Plymouth Colony and serving as governor at that time:
“They begane now to gather in ye small harvest they had, and to fitte up their houses and dwellings against winter, being all well recovered in health & strenght, and had all things in good plenty; fFor as some were thus imployed in affairs abroad, others were excersised in fishing, aboute codd, & bass, & other fish, of which yey tooke good store, of which every family had their portion. All ye somer ther was no want. And now begane to come in store of foule, as winter approached, of which this place did abound when they came first (but afterward decreased by degrees). And besids water foule, ther was great store of wild Turkies, of which they tooke many, besids venison, &c. Besids, they had about a peck a meale a weeke to a person, or now since harvest, Indean corn to yt proportion. Which made many afterwards write so largly of their plenty hear to their freinds in England, which were not fained, but true reports.”
– William Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation
In modern spelling
“They began now to gather in the small harvest they had, and to fit up their houses and dwellings against winter, being all well recovered in health and strength and had all things in good plenty. For as some were thus employed in affairs abroad, others were exercised in fishing, about cod and bass and other fish, of which they took good store, of which every family had their portion. All the summer there was no want; and now began to come in store of fowl, as winter approached, of which this place did abound when they came first (but afterward decreased by degrees). And besides waterfowl there was great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many, besides venison, etc. Besides, they had about a peck of meal a week to a person, or now since harvest, Indian corn to that proportion. Which made many afterwards write so largely of their plenty here to their friends in England, which were not feigned but true reports.”
A Primary Source Just After the Event
The Mayflower arrived in Plymouth in December of 1620. No further ships arrived in Plymouth until immediately after that “First Thanksgiving.” All of the English partakers of the 1621 harvest celebration were Mayflower passengers. However, very soon after the harvest event, the ship Fortune arrived in November of 1621. One of the passengers on the Fortune, William Hilton, wrote a letter home that November. Although he was not present at that “First Thanksgiving,” he does mention turkeys.
Letter of William Hilton, Passenger on the Fortune, November 1621
Loving Cousin,
At our arrival in New Plymouth, in New England, we found all our friends and planters in good health, though they were left sick and weak, with very small means; the Indians round about us peaceable and friendly; the country very pleasant and temperate, yielding naturally, of itself, great store of fruits, as vines of divers sorts in great abundance. There is likewise walnuts, chestnuts, small nuts and plums, with much variety of flowers, roots and herbs, no less pleasant than wholesome and profitable. No place hath more gooseberrries and strawberries, nor better. Timber of all sorts you have in England doth cover the land, that affords beasts of divers sorts, and great flocks of turkey, quails, pigeons and partridges; many great lakes abounding with fish, fowl, beavers, and otters. The sea affords us great plenty of all excellent sorts of sea-fish, as the rivers and isles doth variety of wild fowl of most useful sorts. Mines we find, to our thinking; but neither the goodness nor quality we know. Better grain cannot be than the Indian corn, if we will plant it upon as good ground as a man need desire. We are all freeholders; the rent-day doth not trouble us; and all those good blessings we have, of which and what we list in their seasons for taking.
Our company are, for most part, very religious, honest people; the word of God sincerely taught us every Sabbath; so that I know not any thing a contented mind can here want. I desire your friendly care to send my wife and children to me, where I wish all the friends I have in England; and so I rest
Your loving kinsman,
William Hilton
– In Alexander Young, Chronicles of the Pilgrim Fathers (Boston: Charles C. Little and James Brown, 1841).
The “First Thanksgiving” as a Diplomatic Occasion
The 1621 harvest gathering in Plymouth was a diplomatic event. The small group of surviving English colonists needed to maintain the alliance established with the Wampanoag sachem Ousamequin, the Massasoit, just a few months earlier in April. An occasion to share hospitality was a good way to cement their agreement of mutual aid.
There was also reason on Ousamequin’s side to foster good relations with the English newcomers. A virgin-soil epidemic called the Great Dying had blazed though Indigenous homelands from Maine to Plymouth and Cape Cod, introduced by European explorers and fishermen. From about 1616-1619, tens of thousands of Native people died and many villages were devastated, including the Wampanoag community at Patuxet. The sickness hit the Wampanoag severely, but burned out after reaching Cape Cod, sparing the Narragansett people to the south and west, and leaving them in a position of much greater strength. This imbalance of Indigenous population and power was Ousamequin’s great dilemma and one of the most pressing reasons why an alliance with the English may have been desirable to him.
It was advantageous for both parties to come together in the fall of 1621. Despite differences and wariness between these two cultures, the festivities, abundant food, and other activities also offered opportunity for shared enjoyment.
What did they do for three days?
There was a lot of cooking going on with 150 people. The married English women and the older girls would have been responsible for most of the food preparation.
Winslow’s account indicates the English were the hosts – entertaining and feasting their Wampanoag guests – and that the Wampanoag contributed by going out hunting and bringing back five deer. These were presented as gifts to the Governor, Captain Standish and to some others who are not named. The Wampanoag would have expected like any good sachem, that these English leaders would share their bounty, and this is no doubt precisely what happened – with fresh venison, a dish highly prized by the English, on the menu.
That the Wampanoag went out hunting during the event indicates that they arrived with weapons. The conditions of the April treaty had specified that each side would leave their weapons behind while visiting the other. It is likely that Native men left their bows and arrows outside the settlement per this agreement and retrieved them to hunt. Through Winslow, however, we know that the event included the exercise of arms by the English. This meant firing off muskets, and possibly demonstrating other military skills or maneuvers, an exhibition of prowess not uncommon in 17th-century public celebrations. On this occasion, the outnumbered English may have wished to emphasize their firepower and ability to defend their small outpost in the midst of well inhabited Indigenous territory.
There are many aspects of these three festive days spent together by the English and Wampanoag that are not recorded in the original sources. How exactly did these two groups come together on this particular occasion? Did the English extend an invitation? Did the Wampanoag delegation simply show up, with no forewarning, as they had in the spring when the Massasoit first visited the new Colony, arriving with a train of sixty men? (March 22, 1621, Mourt’s Relation)
The harvest celebration wasn’t an entirely spontaneous event for the English –feasts take some time to prepare. It also took time for Ousamequin to assemble and travel with such a sizeable entourage to Plymouth, whether he was coming from his home village of Sowams, about 40 miles away, or from a closer location.
Much of what we’d like to know about the central action of the 1621 celebration – the face-to-face interaction of Wampanoag and English – remains unknowable.