Who in their right mind would indenture themselves, hop a rickety ship, and pray that the voyage would bring them to a better life? Some who did centuries ago embodied the original pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness, if you will. Within the very first year, the colonists shared a three-day feast with the locals, now dubbed the First Thanksgiving.
The seas were rough and the weather inclement. Amid seasickness and a general malaise of overcrowding, the Mayflower lost two unfortunate souls – the drive to freedom was that palpable. The ship landed unceremoniously in Plymouth, not the Hudson Bay. But Pilgrims disembarked, explored, and finally decided one ocean voyage was plenty.
Most aboard the wayward ship were good people who preferred the rule of law and an extra (European) servant or two to keep things orderly. They comprised religious separatists (the “Pilgrims”) seeking religious freedom, and secular economic migrants (the “Strangers”) searching for financial opportunity. They were enticed by a group of English merchants – the Merchant Adventurers – who had built a ship, created a legal agreement with the British crown, and needed to board some passengers. The recruitment process was based on contracts with the Virginia Company to set up a colony in northern Virginia.
Following Freedom’s Ring
On September 16, 1620, the Mayflower sailed from Plymouth, headed to America, but was later blown off course, and the wayfarers ended up in the cooler climate of Massachusetts. During the voyage, the settlers created and signed the Mayflower Compact, establishing a new set of laws for self-governance, a way to ensure all members, particularly the “Strangers,” would abide by the rules for the general good of the newborn colony.
In the blustery winter of 1621, crude houses were constructed. There were fights, theft, and a couple of sword duels among the indentured. Suffering masters pleaded with the governor for lenient sentences, either out of pity or need for manpower. Still, the intrepid group stayed, facing hunger and the vast unknown of the wooded territory. All the while, the locals, known as the Wampanoag tribe, allowed the colonists to get their bearings. A political pact soon developed with Wampanoag leader Ousamequin, who wanted to form an alliance with the English to fend off his tribal enemies.
How Thanksgiving Rolled Around
The first year in their unforgiving home soon blossomed in warmer weather, as their crops grew. The colonists built a fort to keep the Spanish and French on notice, and new faces arrived from Mother England. Houses were erected, stores were built, and the communal style of living flourished inside the fenced walls of the Plymouth Colony. A bountiful harvest was to be celebrated – mostly thanks to Tisquantum, often called Squanto. So, they set aside time “to rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors.” Other natives showed up, gifting five deer, and stayed for three days, praising God, the Spirit, thanking one another, and playing games. Perhaps there is a lesson to be learned from the Pilgrims and the natives, who, in spite of their different lifestyles and beliefs, understood that discord would result in dissolution and unity would bolster strength. Now, it seems unity and its pursuit hang by the barest of threads.
The real Thanksgiving story should be about unity. Coming closer to God, the Spirit, and remembering when all is presumed lost, you might find a Wampanoag has your back, whether you deserve it or not.
America’s first Catholic president, John F. Kennedy, faced his share of friendly fire but made this astute statement in his 1962 Thanksgiving address: “Let us renew the spirit of the Pilgrims at the first Thanksgiving, lonely in an inscrutable wilderness, facing the dark unknown with a faith borne of their dedication to God and a fortitude drawn from their sense that all men were brothers.”
Author’s note: I am a proud descendant of Edward Doty — a Stranger, a rabble-rouser, who sought a better life and found it, nurtured it in good and nefarious ways, who made his mark (X). He was at that big party with the Wampanoags, and I’m sure he is celebrating with Squanto somewhere this Thanksgiving.
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