A Little History About the Pilgrims and Celebrating the First Thanksgiving on Cape Cod

Dangerous Sanctuary by J.Q. Rose

Cozy mystery

Click the highlighted link to find more mysteries by J.Q. Rose at BWL Publishing

Hello and welcome to the Books We Love Insiders Blog.

Thanksgiving Day is Thursday, November 28 in the USA. The First Thanksgiving was in 1621 when the Pilgrims invited the Wampanoag people to a feast to celebrate the harvest with them. The Pilgrims and their guests came together to enjoy the bounty of their hard work, but most important of all they wanted to express their gratitude and to thank God for the good things in their lives.

The Pilgrims said Thank You!

The idea of a day of Thanksgiving boggles the mind when we realize the trauma and turmoil the Pilgrims went through that first year struggling to develop a colony in the New World. Remember these Pilgrims attempted to make the voyage across the ocean three times in the Mayflower and the Speedwell sailing vessels. 

Making the final decision the Speedwell was unfit for the ocean voyage, they turned back after 300 miles on the ocean and a wasted month and a half on that trip. They unloaded the cargo from the Speedwell and loaded it onto the crowded Mayflower. Many of the passengers left the adventure too tired or sick to start out again.

The Mast of a Sailing Ship

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

On September 6, 1620, 102 souls set sail from England. They endured hunger, sickness, death, and frightening storms on an open sea. They couldn't land where they had planned because of strong storms battering them. Rather than sail down the Hudson River to build their homes, they sighted the shores of Cape Cod on November 9. After exploring the area,  they decided to make Plymouth their home. Imagine trying to build a colony in that cold weather. Only half of the Pilgrims survived the winter. 

Wonders of wonders, after all this suffering and loss, they gave us the greatest gift, Thanksgiving! The Pilgrims gave thanks for their blessings on that autumn day in 1621. Their First Thanksgiving is the lesson for understanding that even with so many problems and sadness, it is still possible to say "thank you" no matter the circumstances.

In these difficult times throughout the world, we often dwell on all the bad things that are happening. Problems swirl around us every day making it difficult to take time to reflect and find something good to be thankful for. But sometimes the smallest things are actually the biggest things.


How about

• a child's smile
• a hearty laugh at a friend's silly joke
•  a sunny day
• a warm cup of coffee or cocoa after coming in from the cold weather
• a hug?

* * *

To learn what was on the table for the First Thanksgiving, click here to read my blog post at the Books We Love Insiders Blog.

Autumn Greetings from J.Q. Rose
Click here to connect online with J.Q. at the Focused on Story Blog

Wishing YOU and yours a Happy Thanksgiving!