23 THE FIRST THANKSGIVING DAY

“And now,” said the Governor, gazing abroad on the piled-up store

Of the sheaves that dotted the clearings and covered the meadows o’er,

“’Tis meet that we render praises because of this yield of grain;

’Tis meet that the Lord of the harvest be thanked for his sun and rain.

“And, therefore, I, William Bradford (by the grace of God today,

And the franchise of this good people), Governor of Plymouth, say,

Through virtue of vested power—ye shall gather with one accord,

And hold, in the month of November, thanksgiving unto the Lord.

“He hath granted us peace and plenty, and the quiet we’ve sought so long;

He hath thwarted the wily savage, and kept him from wrack and wrong;

And unto our feast the Sachem shall be bidden, that he may know

We worship his own Great Spirit, who maketh the harvests grow.

“So shoulder your matchlocks, masters—there is hunting of all degrees;

And, fishermen, take your tackle, and scour for spoils the seas;

And, maidens and dames of Plymouth, your delicate crafts employ

To honor our First Thanksgiving, and make it a feast of joy!

“We fail of the fruits and dainties—we fail of the old home cheer;

Ah, these are the lightest losses, mayhap, that befall us here;

But see, in our open clearings, how golden the melons lie;

Enrich them with sweets and spices, and give us the pumpkin-pie!”

So, bravely the preparations went on for the autumn feast;

The de er and the bear were slaughtered; wild game from the greatest to least

Was heaped in the colony cabins; brown home-brew served for wine,

And the plum and the grape of the forest, for orange and peach and pine.

At length came the day appointed; the snow had begun to fall,

But the clang from the meeting-house belfry rang merrily over all,

And summoned the folk of Plymouth, who hastened with glad accord

To listen to Elder Brewster as he fervently thanked the Lord.

In his seat sate Governor Bradford; men, matrons, and maidens fair,

Miles Standish and all his soldiers, with corselet and sword, were there;

And sobbing and tears and gladness had each in its turn the sway,

For the grave of the sweet Rose Standish o’ershadowed Thanksgiving Day.

And when Massasoit, the Sachem, sate down with his hundred braves,

And ate of the varied riches of gardens and woods and waves,

And looked on the granaried harvest—with a blow on his brawny chest,

He muttered, “The good Great Spirit loves his white children best!”

( Margaret Junkin Preston )

The Author

Margaret J. Preston (1820-1897) was one of the leading poets of the South. She wrote many poems and sketches. “The First Thanksgiving Day”gives a good picture of the life in the old Pilgrim days.

The Pilgrims landed at Plymouth December 21, 1620. During the long,hard winter fifty-one of the one hundred Pilgrims died, among them being Rose Standish, wife of Captain Miles Standish. As soon as spring came, the colonists planted their fields, and by the end of summer a plentiful harvest was gathered in. When provisions and fuel had been laid in for the winter,Governor Bradford appointed a day of thanksgiving. Venison, wild fowl, and fish were easy to obtain. We are told, “there was great store of wild turkeys,of which they took many.” For three days a great feast was spread, and Massasoit, the Indian Sachem, or chief, and many of his people enjoyed it with the colonists.

Word list

dames : ladies

slaughtered : killed

summoned : called

sate : to make full with food

brawny : brave and tough

You Practice

A) Answer the following questions.

1) When did the events in this story take place?

2) Who was the governor of Plymouth at this time?

3) What proclamation did he make?

4) Who did he say should be invited to the feast?

5) What meat did the Pilgrims have at their first Thanksgiving inner?

6) What fruits did they have?

B) Let’s pretend—If you were one of the people who attended this great feast, what would you say about it? Fill in the blanks to complete the sentences about the feast.

1) When I first heard about a Thanksgiving Day, I ________________________ ___________________________________________________________________

2) On the big Thanksgiving Day, I _____________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________

3) As I look back on that day, I’ll never forget ____________________________________________________________________________________________