America's First Thanksgiving...

[amicus]

The Pilgrims who celebrated the first Thanksgiving in America, were fleeing religious prosecution in their native England. In 1609 a group of Pilgrims left England for religious freedom in Holland where they lived and prospered.

After a few years their children were speaking Dutch and had become attached to the Dutch way of life. This worried the Pilgrims. The considered the Dutch frivolous and their ideas a threat to their children's education and morality.

So they decided to leave Holland and travel to the New World. Their trip was financed by a group of English investors, the Merchant Adventurers. It was agreed that the Pilgrims would be given passage and supplies in exchange for their working for their backers for seven years.

On September 6, 1620, the Pilgrims set sail for the New World on a ship called the Mayflower. They sailed from Plymouth, England and aboard were 44 Pilgrims who called themselves the 'Saints', and 66 others whom the Pilgrims called the 'Strangers".

The long trip was cold and damp and took 65 days. Since there was the danger of fire on the wooden ship, the food had to be eaten cold. Many passengers became sick and one person died by the time land was sighted on November 10th.

(The anchoring of the Mayflower at Cape Cod occurred on November 21st, 1620, by our calendar. It was November 11th to the Pilgrims who used the Julian calendar.)

The long trip led to many disagreements between the 'Saints' and the 'Strangers'. After land was sighted a meeting was held and an agreement was worked out, called the Mayflower Compact, which guaranteed equality and unified the two groups. They joined together and named themselves the 'Pilgrims'.

Although they had first sighted land off Cape Cod, they did not settle until they arrived at Plymouth, which had been named by Captain John Smith in 1614. It was there that the Pilgrims decided to settle. Plymouth offered an excellent harbor. A large brook offered a resource for fish. The Pilgrims biggest concern was attack by the local Native American Indians. But the Patuxets were a peaceful group and did not prove to be a threat.

The first winter was devastating to the Pilgrims. The cold snow and sleet was exceptionally heavy, interfering with the workers as they tried to construct their settlement. March brought warmer weather and the health of the Pilgrims improved, but many had died during the long winter. Of the 110 Pilgrims and crew who had left England, less than 50 survived the first winter.

On March 16, 1621, what was to be an important event took place; an Indian brave walked into the Plymouth settlement. The Pilgrims were frightened until the Indian called out, 'welcome', in English.

His name was Samoset and he was an Abnaki Indian. He had learned English from the Captains of fishing boats that sailed off the coast. After staying the night, Samoset left the next day. He soon returned with another Indian named Squanto who spoke better English than Samoset. Squanto told the Pilgrims of his voyage across the ocean and of his visits to England and Spain. It was in England where he learned to speak English.

Squanto's importance to the Pilgrims was enormous and it could be said they would not have survived without his help. It was Squanto who taught the Pilgrims how to tap the Maple trees for sap. He taught them which plants were poisonous and which were medicinal. He taught them how to plant the Indian corn by heaping the earth into mounds with several seeds and fish into each mound. The decaying fish fertilized the corn. He also taught them how to plant other crops with the corn.

The harvest in October was very successful and the Pilgrims found themselves with enough food to put away for the winter. There was corn, fruits and vegetables, fish to be packed in salt, and meat to be cured over smokey fires.

The Pilgrims had much to celebrate, they had built homes in the wilderness, they had raised enough crops to keep them alive during the coming long winter and they were at peace with their Indian neighbors. They had beaten the odds and it was time to celebrate.

There was no milk, cider, potatoes or butter at the time; nor were there domestic cattle and the newly discovered potato was considered by many Europeans to be poisonous. Most of the food probably consisted of corn products, fish, local seafood, fruit and venison.

The Pilgrim Governor, William Bradford, proclaimed a day of thanksgiving to be shared by all the colonists and the neighboring Indians. They invited Squanto and the other Indians to join them in the celebration. Their Chief, Massosoit and 90 braves came to the celebrations which lasted three days. They played games, ran races, marched and played drums. The Indians demonstrated their skills with the bow and arrow and the Pilgrims demonstrated their musket skills. Exactly when the festival took place is uncertain, but it is believed the celebration took place in mid October.

The following year the Pilgrim harvest was not as bountiful as they were still unused to growing corn. During the year they had also shared their stored food with newcomers and the Pilgrims ran short of food.

The third year brought a spring and summer that was hot and dry with crops dying in the fields. Governor Bradford ordered a day of fasting and prayer and it was soon thereafter that the rains came. To celebrate, November 29th of that year was proclaimed to be a day of thanksgiving. This date is believed to be the true beginning of the present day, Thanksgiving Day.

The custom of an anually celebrated thanksgiving, held after the harvest, continued for many years. During the American Revolution, (late 1770's), a day of national thanksgiving was suggested by the Continental Congress.

In 1817, New York State had adopted Thanksgiving Day as an annual custom.

In 1827, Mrs. Sarah Josepha Hale began lobbying several Presidents for for the instatement of Thanksgiving as a National Holiday but her lobbying was unsuccessful until 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln appointed a National Day of Thanksgiving. Since then, each President has issued a Thanksgiving Day Proclamation, usually designating the fourth Thursday of each November as the holiday.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt once set the holiday for the next to last Thursday in order to create a longer Christmas shopping season, but the public uproar caused the President to move it back to its original date.

~~~~~

When the Mayflower departed Plymouth, England, she was carrying 102 passengers, including three pregnant women. During the voyage, one baby was born, Oceanus Hopkins, making a total of 103 passengers. One passenger, William Button, died, so that the Mayflower arrived with 102 passengers.

John Alden, Essex, England
Isaac Allerton, Suffolk, England
Mrs. Mary (Norris) Allerton, Berkshire, England
Bartholomew Allerton, seven years old
Remember Allerton, five years old
Mary Allerton, three years old
John Allerton, Seaman,
John Billington, Lincolnshire, England
Mrs. Elinor Billington
John Billington (II) sixteen years old
Francis Billington, fourteen years old
William Bradford, Yorkshire, England
Mrs. Dorothy (May) Bradford, Cambridgeshire, England
William Brewster, Nottinghamshire, England
Mrs. Mary Brewster
Love Brewster, nine years old
Wrestling Brewster, six years old
Richard Britteridge, perhaps Sussex, England
Peter Brown, Surrey, England
William Button, called, 'youth' died in passage.
Robert Carter, teen, Surrey, England
John Carver, age and origin unknown
Mrs. Katherine (White) Carver, Nottinghamshire, England
James Chilton, Kent, England (oldest at 64)
Mrs. Chilton, Canterbury, co. Kent, England
Mary Chilton, Sandwich, co. thirteen years old
Richard Clark, adult
Francis Cooke, Norfolk, England
John Cooke, thirteen years old
Humility Cooper, one year old, with Tilley family
John Crackston, 45, Colchester,co, Essex
John Crackston,(under 21), St. Mary,co, Suffolk
Edward Doty, Lincolnshire, England, servant
Francis Eaton, Bristol, co. Gloucester, England
Mrs. Sarah Eaton, Bristol, early 20's
Samuel Eaton, under one year, breastfeeding
Thomas English, adult seaman
Moses Fletcher, Sandwich, co. Kent, England
Edward Fuller, Redenhall, co. Norfolk, England
Mrs. Fuller, 40's
Samuel Fuller, twelve years old
Samuel Fuller, brother of Edward, Leiden, England
Richard Gardiner, Harwich, co. Essex, England
John Goodman, adult
William Holbeck, servant, Warwickshire, England
John Hooke, thirteen year old servant, Norfolk, England
Stephen Hopkins, Hampshire, England
Mrs. Elizabeth(Fisher) Hopkins
Constance Hopkins, fourteen years old
Giles Hopkins, twelve years old
Damaris Hopkins, one year old
Oceanus Hopkins, born at sea
John Howland, servant, Huntingtonshire, England
John Langmore, servant, under 21 years of age
William Latham, servant, eleven years old
Edward Leister, servant, 21-25 years old
Edward Margesson, Norfolk, England
Christopher Martin, Great Burstead, co. Essex, England
Mrs. Mary (Prower) Martin, late 30's
Solomon Prower, late teen, Essex, England
Desire Minter, servant, girl, early teens, Norfolk, England
Ellen More, eight years old, apprentice.Shropshire, England
Jasper More, seven years old, apprentice, Shropshire, England
Richard More, six years old, apprentice, Shropshire, England
Mary More, four years old, apprentice, Shropshire, England
William Mullins, Surrey, England
Mrs. Alice Mullins, Dorking, co. Surrey, England
Priscilla Mullins, eighteen years old
Joseph Mullins, fourteen years old
Degory Priest, hatmaker, about 41 years old
John Rigsdale, Weston, co. Lincolnshire, England
Mrs. Alice Rigsdale
Thomas Rogers, Watford, co. Northampton, England
Joseph Rogers, seventeen year old
Henry Samson, sixteen, with aunt, Bedfordshire, England
George Soule, servant, 21-25 years of age
Myles Standish, co. Lancashire, England
Mrs. Rose Standish
Elias Story, Servant, under age 21
Edward Thompson, adult
Edward Tilley, Henlow, co. Bedfordshire, England
Mrs. Ann (Cooper) Tilley, Bedfordshire, England
John Tilley, Bedfordshire, England
Mrs. Joan (Hurst) Tilley, Henlow, co. Bedfordshire, England
Elizabeth Tilley, thirteen years old
Thomas Tinker, Thurne, co. Norfolk, England
Mrs. Tinker
son, Tinker, name unknown
William Trevore, adult seaman
Richard Warren, Great Amwell, co. Hertfordshire, England
William White, adult
Mrs. Susannah White, gave birth shortly after arrival
Resolved White, five years old
Roger Wilder, servant, under 21 years old
Thomas Williams, 38, Great Yarmouth, co. Norfolk, England
Edward Winslow, Droitwich,co. Kent, England
Mrs. Elizabeth (Barker) Winslow, Chattisham or Chatham
Gilbert Winslow, 20 year old brother of Edward
"one Ely" seaman first name not found in historical records
Dorothy, maidservant to John Carver, teen, name lost...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well...saw this in the local paper...all of it...read it and had some thoughts...


Could not scan...so I had to type it...letter by letter...if you find it readable, excuse the typo's I am not going to edit...but if you appreciate, go find my stories and give me a '5' if you can't then refrain....

http://english.literotica.com/stories/showstory.php?id=171925

amicus....

 

[Lisa Denton]

Amicus!!!! Nice non-ranting informative post. What paper was it in?

Are you gonna try to be nice now?

I think Thanksgiving Day is a nice day to be thankful and nice to peoples. I have often been pissed off at some of the things you say but get the sense that you are sincere, so have tried to be civil and all.

I really liked seeing a post to remind us all that the day is not just a pig-out day about eating.

 

[R. Richard]

Amicus:
An interesting and uplifting post. However, a trifle inaccurate.

The first recorded Christian thanksgiving in America occurred in Texas on May 23, 1541 when Spanish explorer, Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, and his men held a service of thanksgiving after finding food, water, and pasture for their animals in the Panhandle. This was not a feast, but a religeous ceremony.

Another thanksgiving service occurred on June 30, 1564 when French Huguenot colonists celebrated in solemn praise and thanksgiving in a settlement near what is now Jacksonville, Florida. Again, a religious ceremnony.

On August 9, 1607 English settlers led by Captain George Popham joined Abnaki Indians along Maine's Kennebec River for a harvest feast and prayer meeting. The colonists, living under the Plymouth Company charter, established Fort St. George around the same time as the founding of Virginia's Jamestown colony. Unlike Jamestown, however, this site was abandoned a year later. As noted, this was a thanksgiving feast.

Two years before the Pilgrims on December 4, 1619, a group of 38 English settlers arrived at Berkeley Plantation in what is now Charles City, Virginia. The group's charter required that the day of arrival be observed yearly as a day of thanksgiving to God. Captain John Woodleaf held the service of thanksgiving. Here is the section of the Charter of Berkley Plantation which specifies the thanksgiving service:

"Wee ordaine that the day of our ships arrival at the place assigned for plantacion in the land of Virginia shall be yearly and perpetually keept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty god."

In addition to 1619, the colonists perhaps held service in 1620 and 1621. The colony was wiped out in 1622. It was a private event, limited to the Berkeley settlement.

The Pilgrims were latecomers.

By the way, the reason the Pilgrims landed in Cape Cod was that they were short of water after the long sea voyage. They filled water barrels from a pond in Cape Cod. It is not certain exactly where the pond was, or if the pond still exists. I have been to the Cape and visited the two most likely ponds.

 

[Guest]

William Brewster, Nottinghamshire, England
Mrs. Mary Brewster



this is my lineage. yes, my family is of the DAR and Descendants of the Mayflower. scary thought, that!

 

[Lisa Denton]

William Brewster, Nottinghamshire, England
Mrs. Mary Brewster



this is my lineage. yes, my family is of the DAR and Descendants of the Mayflower. scary thought, that!

Do you have one of those family tree thingie reports? Are those other two Bresters, Love and Wrestling, also your descendants?

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Plymouth rock is a big disappointment. I always expected it would be something like the Rock of Gibraltar, instead it's a little boulder about the size of a turkey.

---dr.M.

 

[Pure]

Just to give a slight air of reality to this thread, and as one with links to the original 102 (so said my father). note to R. Richard

Amicus quote has it:
The Pilgrims who celebrated the first Thanksgiving in America, were fleeing religious prosecution in their native England. In 1609 a group of Pilgrims left England for religious freedom in Holland where they lived and prospered.

After a few years their children were speaking Dutch and had become attached to the Dutch way of life. This worried the Pilgrims. The considered the Dutch frivolous and their ideas a threat to their children's education and morality.

So they decided to leave Holland and travel to the New World.

1) Though they were persecuted in England, they did not object to persecution by a state church, per se. Just that it fell upon them. Nor did they object to a state church, per se (i.e., officially 'established', government funded.)

2) Hence, though they saw the toleration of the Dutch, they didn't copy it.

3)So, the early documents of the Massachusetts colony specify, an official church, of which everyone is to be a member.

3a) No one may be a public officeholder, who is not Christian and of the correct church.

4) Any 'worship' activity outside this church is outlawed, as in England. (i.e., Baptists and Quakers subject to arrest and death penalty, which was carried out.)

5)Those slackers not attending get fined (and possibly jailed).

6) The ten commandments are decreed as laws, along with some of the Biblical penalties (i.e., death). IOW blasphemy or adultery could bring criminal sanctions.

----
It's in this context that 'friendship' with the Indians has to be described. The Indians would be pagans, subject to treatment as such. Neither their culture or religion would be other than error based-- since the Puritans had the true Christian way.

Assuming ftsoa the early folks were thankful for help and food (as well as the people elsewhere mentioned in other postings), as soon as an army arrived or was constituted, relations with the Indians took on a less 'thankful' air.

If you wonder about the truth of the above, I'd ask, "When visiting Massachussetts, how many Indians did you see?" How are those "Abnaki's" doing?

---
Note to R. Richard. Interesting material. For Christians to thank the Lord for a good harvest, must go far back, indeed your info tends to show, as soon as there were Christians in the new world, days of thanksgiving happened. Yet the concept is in the Old Testament, and Jews gave 'thanksgiving' to God for more than a millenium before Christ. Indeed 'thanks of a harvest' probably has 'pagan' roots as far back as recorded history. A day to celebrate a fine harvest is very ancient indeed.

 

[wildsweetone]

As a non American, this is an interesting thread to read. Thanks amicus for starting it.

 

[cloudy]

I keep waiting for the local kids to show up at my door with a basket of corn.

 

[amicus]

The article appeared in a small weekly paper, it did not contain a source; I did no independent research and do not vouch for the tone or the accuracy.

Servants were much the same as slaves, were they not?

I thought the list was interesting and glad a few can relate ancestry to those early days.

amicus...

 

[Pure]

The Mayflower Compact is at

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayflower_Compact

An unusually frank commentary on it--perhaps unintentionally ironic--is at the same site:


The purpose of the Mayflower Compact was to prevent people that didn't split from the Church of England from separating with the Separatists (Pilgrims). The Pilgrims were people who separated from the Church of England to follow their beliefs. The people that threatened to separate were non-pilgrims but they had the skills so the Pilgrims could survive.

 

[Raine D8]

Quite interesting.

 

[sweetnpetite]

I didn't see this thread before I started mine which features a thanksgiving story by a teacher who is also American Indian who has gone through the trouble of correcting some of the misperceptions, but also been careful to keep the spirit of the story well preserved. The pilgrims were friendly to the Indians- mainly I believe because they were outnumbered and the indian's hospitality and guidance helped them to survive- but there was a friendly peace at least for a time, and that some times is about the most we can ask for. (Can we say the same about our own family traditions?)

The Indians were absolutley vital to the survival of the Pilgrims (a fact they may well be kicking themselves for at this point, but regardless) and also**** strongly influenced our American System of Government (ie, democracy)

The details of their democratic system were so
impressive that about 150 years later Benjamin Franklin
invited the Iroquois to Albany, New York, to explain their
system to a delegation who then developed the "Albany Plan
of Union." This document later served as a model for the
Articles of Confederation and the Constitution of the
United States.

More about how important the Indians were:
The Pilgrims were not in good condition. They were
living in dirt-covered shelters, there was a shortage of
food, and nearly half of them had died during the winter.
They obviously needed help and the two men were a welcome
sight. Squanto, who probably knew more English than any
other Indian in North America at that time, decided to stay
with the Pilgrims for the next few months and teach them
how to survive in this new place. He brought them deer meat
and beaver skins. He taught them how to cultivate corn and
other new vegetables and how to build Indian-style houses.
He pointed out poisonous plants and showed how other plants
could be used as medicine. He explained how to dig and cook
clams, how to get sap from the maple trees, use fish for
fertilizer, and dozens of other skills needed for their
survival.

By the time fall arrived things were going much better
for the Pilgrims, thanks to the help they had received. The
corn they planted had grown well. There was enough food to
last the winter. They were living comfortably in their
Indian-style wigwams and had also managed to build one
European-style building out of squared logs. This was their
church. They were now in better health, and they knew more
about surviving in this new land. The Pilgrims decided to
have a thanksgiving feast to celebrate their good fortune.
They had observed thanksgiving feasts in November as
religious obligations in England for many years before
coming to the New World. The Algonkian tribes held six thanksgiving festivals
during the year.

As you can see the idea of "Thanksgiving" and Thanksgiving Feasts was older and more far reaching than this one time and place I think this is kind of neat- a meating place of tradition amoungst two separate and different cultures.

The feast lasted 3 days, and due to the unexpected large turnout of Indians, the Indians supplied most of the food.

But of course, all the good will was not to last:

For three days the Wampanoags feasted with the
Pilgrims. It was a special time of friendship between two
very different groups of people. A peace and friendship
agreement was made between Massasoit and Miles Standish
giving the Pilgrims the clearing in the forest where the
old Patuxet village once stood to build their new town of
Plymouth.

It would be very good to say that this friendship
lasted a long time; but, unfortunately, that was not to be.
More English people came to America, and they were not in
need of help from the Indians as were the original
Pilgrims. Many of the newcomers forgot the help the Indians
had given them. Mistrust started to grow and the friendship
weakened. The Pilgrims started telling their Indian
neighbors that their Indian religion and Indian customs
were wrong. The Pilgrims displayed an intolerance toward
the Indian religion similar to the intolerance displayed
toward the less popular religions in Europe. The
relationship deteriorated and within a few years the
children of the people who ate together at the first
Thanksgiving were killing one another in what came to be
called King Phillip's War.

 

[Pure]

A few original documents related to Thanksgiving and the early 'plantations' in Massachusetts.

Winslow in a letter Dec. 1621 describes the first thanksgiving

http://members.aol.com/calebj/mourt6.html

Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after have a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit 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 among 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. We have found the Indians very faithful in their covenant of peace with us; very loving and ready to pleasure us; we often go to them, and they come to us; some of us have been fifty miles by land in the country with them, the occasions and relations whereof you shall understand by our general and more full declaration of such things as are worth the noting,

yea, it has pleased God so to possess the Indians with a fear of us, and love unto us, that not only the greatest king amongst them, called Massasoit, but also all the princes and peoples round about us, have either made suit unto us, or been glad of any occasion to make peace with us, so that seven of them at once have sent their messengers to us to that end.

Yea, an Isle at sea, which we never saw, hath also, together with the former, yielded willingly to be under the protection, and subjects to our sovereign lord King James, so that there is now great peace amongst the Indians themselves, which was not formerly, neither would have been but for us; and we for our parts walk as peaceably and safely in the wood as in the highways in England. We entertain them familiarly in our houses, and they as friendly bestowing their venison on us.

They are a people without any religion or knowledge of God, yet very trusty, quick of apprehension, ripe-witted, just. The men and women go naked, only a skin about their middles.


Document List/Collection with links

http://www2.pitnet.net/primarysources/

Bradford's history "Of Plymouth Plantation" written 1630-1654
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~DRBR/bradford.html#one

Modern text at
http://members.aol.com/calebj/bradford_journal9.html

Interesting description of the situation where the separatists have just arrived, Ch 9:

But here I cannot but stay and make a pause, and stand half amazed at this poor people's present condition; and so I think will the reader too, when he well considers the same. Being thus passed the vast ocean, and a sea of troubles before in their preparation (as may be remembered by that which went before), they had now no friends to welcome them, nor inns to entertain or refresh their weather-beaten bodies, no houses or much less towns to repair to, to seek for succor.

It is recorded in scripture as a mercy to the apostle and his shipwrecked company, that the barbarians showed no small kindness in refreshing them, but these savage barbarians, when they met with them (as after will appear) were readier to fill their sides full of arrows then otherwise.

And for the season it was winter, and they that know the winters of that country know them to be sharp and violent and subject to cruel and fierce storms, dangerous to travel to known places, much more to search an unknown coast. Besides, what could they see but a hideous and desolate wilderness, full of wild beasts and wild men? and what multitudes there might be of them they knew not.



Thomas Morton, 1637 on the Indians of New England,
Morton's group, at odds with the main colony were at what is now Quincy, MA.

Of Their Petty Conjuring Tricks

If we doe not judge amiss of these Salvages in accounting them witches, yet out of all question we may be bold to conclude them to be but weake witches, such of them as we call by the names of Powahs: some correspondency they have with the Devil out of all doubt, as by some of their actions, in which they glory, is manifested. Papasiquineo, that Sachem or Sagamore, is a Powah of greate estimation amongst all kinde of Salvages there: he is at their Revels (which is the time when a great company of Salvages meete from severall parts of the Country, in amity with their neighbours) hath advanced his honor in his feats or juggling tricks (as I may right term them) to the admiration of the spectators, whom he endevoured to persuade that he would goe under water to the further side of a river, too broad for any man to undertake with a breath, which thing he performed by swimming over, and deluding the company with casting a mist before their eyes that see him enter in and come out, but no part of the way he has been seen:

likewise by our English, in the heat of all summer to make Ice appear in a bowl of faire water; first, having the water set before him, he hath begun his incantation according to their usuall custom, and before the same has been ended a thick Cloud has darkened the aire and, on a sudden, a thunder clap hath been heard that has amazed the natives; in an instant he hath showed a firm piece of Ice to float in the midst of the bowl in the presence of the vulgar people, which doubtless was done by the agility of Satan, his consort.

And by meanes of these sleights, and such like trivial things as these, they gaine such estimation amongst the rest of the Salvages that it is thought a very impious matter for any man to derogate from the words of these Powahs. In so much as he that should slight them, is thought to commit a crime no less heinous amongst them as sacrilege is with us, . . .

Of their Religion.
It has been a common received opinion from Cicero, that there is no people so barbarous but have some worship or other. In this particular, I am not of opinion therein with Tully; and, surely, if he had been amongst those people so longe as I have been, and conversed so much with them touching this matter of Religion, he would have changed his opinion. Neither should we have found this error, amongst the rest, by the helpe of that wooden prospect, [Morton is sardonically referring to an earlier publication: William Wood, New England Prospect (1634), in which Wood claimed that the Indians he encountered worshiped something, but exactly what is too difficult to determine. Morton contests that view in this pamphlet.]

Of their acknowlegement of the Creation, and the immortality of the Soul.
Although these Salvages are found to be without Religion, Law, and King (as Sir William Alexander hath well observed,) yet are they not altogether without the knowledge of God (historically); for they have it amongst them by tradition that God made one man and one woman, and bade them live together and get children, kill deer, beasts, birds, fish and fowle, and what they would at their pleasure; and that their posterity was full of evil, and made God so angry that he let in the Sea upon them, and drowned the greatest part of them, that were naughty men, (the Lord destroyed so and they went to Sanaconquam, who feeds upon them (pointing to the Center of the Earth, where they imagine is the habitation of the Devill

the other, (which were not destroyed,) increased the world, and when they died (because they were good) went to the house of Kytan [the word Morton records for the supreme good Spirit or God], pointing to the setting of the sun; where they eate all manner of dainties, and never take pains (as now) to provide it.Kytan makes provision (they say) and saves them that labour; and there they shall live with him forever, void of care. And they are persuaded that Kytan is he that makes corne growe, trees growe, and all manner of fruits. . . .

I asked him [an Indian who had lived in Morton's house] who was a good man; his answer was, he that would not Iie, nor steal.These, with them, are all the capital crimes that can be imagined; all other are nothing in respect of those; and he that is free from these must live with Kytan for ever, in all manner of pleasure.

. . .
Morton's account of the scandalous erection of a maypole in Plymouth colony, 1637

The Inhabitants of Pasonagessit (having translated the name of their habitation from that ancient Salvage name to Ma-reMount [MerryMount]; and being resolved to have the new name confirmed for a memorial to after ages) did devise amongst themselves to have it performed in a solemne manner with Revels, & merriment after the old English custorne: prepared to sett up a Maypole upon the festivall day of Philip and Jacob ; & therefore brewed a barrell of excellent beer, & provided a case of bottles to be spent, with other good cheer, for all comers of that day. And because they would have it in a complete forme, they had prepared a song fitting to the time and present occasion.

And upon Mayday they brought the Maypole to the place appointed, with drums, guns, pistols, and other fitting instruments, for that purpose ; and there erected it with the help of Salvages, that came thether of purpose to see the manner of our Revels. A goodly pine tree of 80 foot long, was reared up, with a pair of buckshorns nailed one, somewhat neare unto the top of it : where it stood as a faire sea marke for directions; how to finde out the way to mine Hoste of Ma-reMount.

And because it should more fully appeare to what end it was placed there, they had a poem in readiness made, which was fixed to the Maypole, to shew the new name confirmed upon that plantation; which although it were made according to the occurrents of the time, it being Enigmatically composed) puzzled the Seperatists most pitifully to expound it. . . .

The setting up of this Maypole was a lamentable spectacle to the precise seperatists : that lived at new Plymouth. They termed it an Idoll; yea they called it the Calf of Horeb: and stood at defiance with the place, naming it Mount Dagon; threatening to make it a woefull mount and not a merry mount. . . .

There was likewise a merry song made, which (to make their Revells more fashionable) was sung with a chorus, every man bearing his part; which they performed in a dance, hand in hand about the Maypole, whiles one of the Company sung, and filled out the good liquor like gammedes and Jupiter.

The Songe Drinke and be merry, merry, merry boyes,
Let all your delight be in Hymens joyes,
Iô to Hymen now the day is come,
About the merry Maypole take a Roome.
Make greene garlands, bring bottles out;
And fill sweet Nectar, freely about,
Uncover thy head, and feare no harm,
For hers good liquor to keepe it warme.
Then drinke and be merry, &c.
Iô to Hymen, &c.
[...]

This harmless mirth made by young men (that lived in hope to have wives brought over to them, that would save them a labour to make a voyage to fetch any over) was much distasted, of the precise Seperatists: that keep much ado, about the tithe of Muit [mint] and Cunmin ; troubling their braines more then reason would require about things that are indifferent: and from that time sought occasion against my honest Host of Ma-reMount to overthrow his undertakings, and to destroy his plantation quite and cleane . .
----
Pynchon Court Record Massachusetts Bay Colony

http://www.law.du.edu/russell/lh/alh/docs/pynchon.html

January the 11 1640 [1641]. It is ordered that John Hobell shall be well whipt by the Constable for two misdemenors first for proceeding to get promises of Marriage from Abigall Burt, after that both he and she had been prohibbited by her Father severall tymes, and also for offeringe and attemptinge to doe the act of fornication with her as they both confesse though as far as we can discerne by any proofe of Justice the act was not don. Also Abigall Burt is found guilty in both the said faultes and is also to be well whipt by the Constable for the said faultes:

----
http://personal.pitnet.net/primarysources/schoollaw1642.html

Massachusetts Bay School Law (1642)

{Children to be taught the catechism or are subject to removal from negligent parents}

Forasmuch as the good education of children is of singular behoof and benefit to any Common-wealth; and wheras many parents & masters are too indulgent and negligent of their duty in that kinde. It is therfore ordered that the Select men of everie town, in the severall precincts and quarters where they dwell, shall have a vigilant eye over their brethren & neighbours,

to see, first that none of them shall suffer so much barbarism in any of their families as not to indeavour to teach by themselves or others, their children & apprentices so much learning as may inable them perfectly to read the english tongue, & knowledge of the Capital Lawes: upon penaltie of twentie shillings for each neglect therin.

Also that all masters of families doe once a week (at the least) catechize their children and servants in the grounds & principles of Religion, & if any be unable to doe so much: that then at the least they procure such children or apprentices to learn some short orthodox catechism without book, that they may be able to answer unto the questions that shall be propounded to them out of such catechism by their parents or masters or any of the Select men when they shall call them to a tryall of what they have learned of this kinde.

And further that all parents and masters do breed & bring up their children & apprentices in some honest lawful calling, labour or imployment, either in husbandry, or some other trade profitable for themselves, and the Common-wealth if they will not or cannot train them up in learning to fit them for higher imployments.

And if any of the Select men after admonition by them given to such masters of families shal finde them still negligent of their dutie in the particulars aforementioned, wherby children and servants become rude, stubborn & unruly; the said Select men with the help of two Magistrates, or the next County court for that Shire, shall take such children or apprentices from them & place them with some masters for years (boyes till they come to twenty one, and girls eighteen years of age compleat) which will more strictly look unto, and force them to submit unto government according to the rules of this order, if by fair means and former instructions they will not be drawn into it.

 

[sweetnpetite]

If you wonder about the truth of the above, I'd ask, "When visiting Massachussetts, how many Indians did you see?" How are those "Abnaki's" doing?

---

of interest in relation to what you said:

For three days the Wampanoags feasted with the
Pilgrims. It was a special time of friendship between two
very different groups of people. A peace and friendship
agreement was made between Massasoit and Miles Standish
giving the Pilgrims the clearing in the forest where the
old Patuxet village once stood to build their new town of
Plymouth.

It would be very good to say that this friendship
lasted a long time; but, unfortunately, that was not to be.
More English people came to America, and they were not in
need of help from the Indians as were the original
Pilgrims. Many of the newcomers forgot the help the Indians
had given them. Mistrust started to grow and the friendship
weakened. The Pilgrims started telling their Indian
neighbors that their Indian religion and Indian customs
were wrong. The Pilgrims displayed an intolerance toward
the Indian religion similar to the intolerance displayed
toward the less popular religions in Europe. The
relationship deteriorated and within a few years the
children of the people who ate together at the first
Thanksgiving were killing one another in what came to be
called King Phillip's War.

It is sad to think that this happened, but it is
important to understand all of the story and not just the
happy part. Today the town of Plymouth Rock has a
Thanksgiving ceremony each year in remembrance of the first
Thanksgiving. There are still Wampanoag people living in
Massachusetts. In 1970, they asked one of them to speak at
the ceremony to mark the 350th anniversary of the Pilgrim's
arrival. Here is part of what was said:

"Today is a time of celebrating for you -- a time of
looking back to the first days of white people in America.
But it is not a time of celebrating for me. It is with a
heavy heart that I look back upon what happened to my
People. When the Pilgrims arrived, we, the Wampanoags,
welcomed them with open arms, little knowing that it was
the beginning of the end. That before 50 years were to
pass, the Wampanoag would no longer be a tribe. That we and
other Indians living near the settlers would be killed by
their guns or dead from diseases that we caught from them.
Let us always remember, the Indian is and was just as human
as the white people.

Although our way of life is almost gone, we, the
Wampanoags, still walk the lands of Massachusetts. What has
happened cannot be changed. But today we work toward a
better America, a more Indian America where people and
nature once again are important."


shameless link

 

[sweetnpetite]

Thanks Pure-

that's a lot of information. I don't have time to read it all now, but I skimmed over it. It's hard to read nearly anything written before standardized spelling!

 

[Pure]

Thanks Sweet. Yes, I checked and there are about 3000 Wampanoag native persons left in Mass, which has somewhat over 6 million people.

 

[amicus]

Interesting information...

 

[Pure]

First laws, Massachusetts Colony

Here's an interesting selection. Witches, pervs and adulterous wives (and the third party) beware.

Atheists and Jews, Fuhgeddaboutit.

http://history.hanover.edu/texts/masslib.htm

Massachusetts Body of Liberties, 1641

{Basic rights that are precursors for the Bill of Rights, e.g.}
1. No mans life shall be taken away, no mans honour or good name shall be stayned,

no mans person shall be arested, restrayned, banished, dismembred, nor any wayes punished,

no man shall be deprived of his wife or children, no mans goods or estaite shall be taken away from him, nor any way indammaged under colour of law or Countenance of Authoritie,

unlesse it be by vertue or equitie of some expresse law of the Country waranting the same, established by a generall Court and sufficiently published,

or in case of the defect of a law in any parteculer case by the word of God.

And in Capitall cases, or in cases concerning [Page 262] dismembring or banishment according to that word to be judged by the Generall Court.


Slavery


91. There shall never be any bond slaverie, villinage or Captivitie amongst us unles it be lawfull Captives taken in just warres, and such strangers as willingly selle themselves or are sold to us.

And these shall have all the liberties and Christian usages which the law of god established in Israell concerning such persons doeth morally require. This exempts none from servitude who shall be Judged thereto by Authoritie.

94. Capitall Laws.

1. (Deut. 13. 6, 10. Deut. 17. 2, 6. Ex. 22.20)
If any man after legall conviction shall have or worship any other god, but the lord god, he shall be put to death.

2. (Ex. 22. 18. Lev. 20. 27. Dut. 18. 10.)
If any man or woeman be a witch, (that is hath or consulteth with a familiar spirit,) They shall be put to death.

3. (Lev. 24. 15,16.)
If any person shall Blaspheme the name of god, the father, Sonne or Holie Ghost, with direct, expresse, presumptuous or high handed blasphemie, or shall curse god in the like manner, he shall be put to death. [Page 274]

4. (Ex. 21. 12. Numb. 35. 13, 14, 30, 31.)
If any person committ any wilfull murther, which is manslaughter, committed upon premeditated malice, hatred, or Crueltie, not in a mans necessarie and just defence, nor by meere casualtie against his will, he shall be put to death.

5. (Numb. 25, 20, 21. Lev. 24. 17)
If any person slayeth an other suddaienly in his anger or Crueltie of passion, he shall be put to death.

6. (Ex. 21. 14.)
If any person shall slay an other through guile, either by poysoning or other such divelish practice, he shall be put to death.

7. (Lev. 20. 15,16.)
If any man or woeman shall lye with any beaste or bruite creature by Carnall Copulation, They shall surely be put to death. And the beast shall be slaine, and buried and not eaten.

8.(Lev. 20. 13.)
If any man lyeth with mankinde as he lyeth with a woeman, both of them have committed abhomination, they both shall surely be put to death.

9. (Lev. 20. 19. and 18, 20. Dut. 22. 23, 24.)
If any person committeth Adultery with a maried or espoused wife, the Adulterer and Adulteresse shall surely be put to death.

10. (Ex. 21. 16.)
If any man stealeth a man or mankinde, he shall surely be put to death.

11. (Deut. 19. 16, 18, 19.)
If any man rise up by false witnes, wittingly and of purpose to take away any mans life, he shall be put to death.

12. If any man shall conspire and attempt any invasion, insurrection, or publique rebellion against our commonwealth, or shall [Page 275] indeavour to surprize any Towne or Townes, fort or forts therein, or shall treacherously and perfediouslie attempt the alteration and subversion of our frame of politie or Government fundamentallie, he shall be put to death.


====
95. A Declaration of the Liberties the Lord Jesus hath given to the Churches.

1. All the people of god within this Jurisdiction who are not in a church way, and be orthodox in Judgement, and not scandalous in life, shall have full libertie to gather themselves into a Church Estaite. Provided they doe it in a Christian way, with due observation of the rules of Christ revealed in his word.

2. Every Church hath full libertie to exercise all the ordinances of god, according to the rules of scripture.

3. Every Church hath free libertie of Election and ordination of all their officers from time to time, provided they be able, pious and orthodox.

[... Church's conduct of their own business]

10. Wee allowe private meetings for edification in religion amongst Christians of all sortes of people. So it be without just offence for number, time, place, and other cercumstances.

 

[Pure]

{dedicated to Amicus}

In case we forgot anything, the additions to the laws, in 1648.

Beware disobedient children, single-women-fornicators and their partners, shuffle board players, heretics, and Jesuits.

http://puritanism*******.fr/puritanism/sources/lawslibertyes1648.html

The Book of the General Lawes and Libertyes Concerning the Inhabitants of the Massachusets (1648; facsimile edition, Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1929).


13. If any child, or children, above sixteen years old, and of sufficient understanding, shall CURSE, or SMITE their natural FATHER, or MOTHER; he or they shall be put to death: unles it can be sufficiently testified that the Parents have been very unchristianly negligent in the eduction of such children; or so provoked them by extream, and cruel correction; that they have been forced therunto to preserve themselves from death or maiming. Exod. 21. 17. Lev. 20. 9. Exod. 21. 15.

14. If a man have a stubborn or REBELLIOUS SON, of sufficient years & uderstanding (viz) sixteen years of age, which will not obey the voice of his Father, or the voice of his Mother, and that when they have chastened him will not harken unto them:

then shal his Father & Mother being his natural parets, lay hold on him, & bring him to the Magistrates assembled in Court & testifie unto them that their Son is stubborn & rebellious & will not obey their voice and chastisement, but lives in sundry notorious crimes, such a son shal be put to death. Deut. 21. 20. 21.

15. If any man shal RAVISH any maid or single woman commiting carnal copulation with her by force, against her own will; that is above the age of ten years he shal be punished either with death, or with some other greivous punishmet according to circumstances as the Judges, or General court shal determin. [1641]

[...]
[*23] Fornication.

It is ordered by this Court and Authoritie therof, That if any man shall commit Fornication with any single woman, they shall be punished either by enjoyning to Marriage, or Fine, or corporall punishment, or all or any of these as the Judges in the courts of Assistants shall appoint most agreeable to the word of God. And this Order to continue till the Court take further order. [1642] * * *

[*24] Gaming.

UPON complaint of great disorder by the use of the game called Shuffle-board, in houses of common entertainment, wherby much pretious time is spent unfruitfully and much wast of wine and beer occasioned, it is therfore ordered and enacted by the Authoritie of this Court;

That no person shall henceforth use the said game of Shuffle-board in any such house, nor in any other house used as common for such purpose, upon payn for every Keeper of such house to forfeit for every such offence twenty shillings: and for every person playing at the said game in any such house, to forfeit for everie such offence five shillings:

Nor shall any person at any time play or game for any monie, or mony-worth upon penalty of forfeiting treble the value therof: one half to the partie informing, the other half to the Treasurie. And any Magistrate may hear and determin any offence against this Law. [1646 1647] * * *

Heresie. ALTHOUGH no humane power be Lord over the Faith & Consciences of men, and therfore may not constrein them to beleive or professe against their Consciences:

yet because such as bring in damnable heresies, tending to the subversion of the Christian Faith, and destruction of the soules of men, ought duly to be restreined from such notorious impiety,

it is therfore ordered and decreed by this Court;

That if any Christian within this Jurisdiction shall go about to subvert and destroy the christian Faith and Religion, by broaching or mainteining any damnable heresie;

as denying the immortalitie of the Soul,
or the resurrection of the body,

or any sin to be repented of in the Regenerate, or any evil done by the outward man to be accounted sin:

or denying that Christ gave himself a Ransom for our sins,

or shal affirm that wee are not justified by his Death and Righteousnes, but by the perfection of our own works;

or shall deny the moralitie of the fourth commandement,

or shall indeavour to seduce others to any the herisies aforementioned,

everie such person continuing obstinate therin after due means of conviction shal be sentenced to Banishment. [1646] * * *

[*25] Idlenes.

It is ordered by this Court and Authoritie therof, that no person, Housholder or other shall spend his time idlely or unproffitably under pain of such punishment as the Court of Assistants or County Court shall think meet to inflict.

And for [*26]this end it is ordered that the Constable of everie place shall use speciall care and diligence to take knowledge of offenders in this kinde, especially of common coasters, unproffitable fowlers and tobacco takers, and present the same unto the two next Assistants, who shall have power to hear and determin the cause, or transfer it to the next Court. [1633]

Jesuits.

THIS Court taking into consideration the great wars, combustions and divisions which are this day in Europe:

and that the same are observed to be raysed and fomented chiefly by the secret underminings, and solicitations of those of the Jesuiticall Order, men brought up and devoted to the religion and court of Rome;

which hath occasioned divers States to expell them their territories; for prevention wherof among our selves, It is ordered and enacted by Authoritie of this Court,

That no Jesuit, or spiritual or ecclesiastical person [as they are termed] ordained by the authoritie of the Pope, or Sea of Rome shall henceforth at any time repair to, or come within this Jurisdiction:

And if any person shal give just cause of suspicion that he is one of such Societie or Order he shall be brought before some of the Magistrates, and if he cannot free himselfe of such suspicion he shall be committed to prison, or bound over to the next Court of Assistants, to be tryed and proceeded with by Banishment or otherwise as the Court shall see cause: [...]
[* 30]

 

[amicus]

(dedicated to Amicus....)

so said Pure....sighs...


This is the Thanksgiving thread I started?

Taking note of all that was posted above, about how life must have been in England and Scotland if those things persisted even after they came to the new world.

I have seen bits and pieces of Puritan life before and Hawthornes Scarlett Letter and the like. What you posted tends to remind me of just how much I really hate organized religion and how dangerous it can really be.

And Charles Dickens and others, wrote of life in Victorian England and Victor Hugo of France, so any one who reads is well aware of the repression by religion in European countries.

No wonder anyone with half a brain came over here and no wonder the brain drain has left Europe with only half wits.

No surprise at all. We got the best you had to offer and you kept the dregs. It shows.

Any way, I saw no reason for you to corrupt a thread and make a political issue out of an honest offering of historical information.

amicus...

 

[Pure]

ami said,

Any way, I saw no reason for you to corrupt a thread

hadn't realized that was possible.

and make a political issue out of an honest offering of historical information.

you were honest in intention, but the 'information' wasn't factual.

The Pilgrims who celebrated the first Thanksgiving in America, were fleeing religious prosecution in their native England. In 1609 a group of Pilgrims left England for religious freedom in Holland where they lived and prospered.

First, I've not be able to find a place where these fellows call themselves 'Pilgrims' except in passing, in the ordinary sense, 'travellers.'

Second, 'fleeing persecution' was not exactly accurate, nor was it true that they sought 'religious freedom' (not stated, but implied) as the material above demonstrates. In fact they sought to set up a 'persecutory' regime *stricter* than the one they left.

Third, their relations w. Indians were not so friendly as shown, and even if they were for those first couple years, it didn't last. As one bit posted said, some of their religious practices were thought to be either trickery or witchcraft.

But let's return to the true topic of this thread, how the well meaning, godly "pilgrims" had a fine time on the 'first thanksgiving', offering thanks to their-- according to you--nonexistent god.

Ami, I agree there much to be thankful for, including that the Puritans don't run the goverment except in the DOJ, and only one (?) is on the Supreme Court.