Thursday, November 25, 2010

The First Thanksgiving


Interesting insights into the first Thanksgiving.

From NPR...
How long was the first Thanksgiving dinner?

It wasn't just a dinner. It lasted three days.

Who was there?

About fifty pilgrims came. Plus ninety Wampanoag Indians. Says the writer Andrew Beahrs: "About two of every three people there were Wampanoag."

Was it a family event? Were there ladies there?

Probably not. The only eye-witness account mentions "some 90 men." This was a political gathering. The Wampanoags and the Pilgrims were cementing a military alliance. Massoasoit, the Wampanoag king was there. So was the English Governor William Bradford. The First Thanksgiving was mostly a Guys-Only event where the English women, says Beahrs "were likely doing the bulk of the cooking."

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