How the Plymouth Pilgrims Took Over Thanksgiving — and Who History Left Behind
- camilarosiaz
- Nov 17
- 2 min read
Nine in 10 Americans gather around a table to share food on Thanksgiving. At this polarizing moment, anything that promises to bring Americans together warrants our attention.
‘The First Thanksgiving, 1621,’ by Jean L. G. Ferris. Library of Congress
But as a historian of religion, the author argues, popular interpretations of Thanksgiving also have pulled us apart.
Communal rituals of giving thanks have a longer history in North America, and it was only around the turn of the 20th century that most people in the U.S. came to associate Thanksgiving with Plymouth “Pilgrims” and generic “Indians” sharing a historic meal.
‘The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth’ by Jennie A. Brownscombe. Stedelijk Museum De Lakenhal/Wikimedia Commons
The emphasis on the Pilgrims’ 1620 landing and 1621 feast erased a great deal of religious history and narrowed conceptions of who belongs in America — at times excluding groups such as Native Americans, Catholics, and Jews.
The usual Thanksgiving depiction overlooks Indigenous rituals that give thanks, including harvest festivals. The Wampanoag, who shared food with the Pilgrims in 1621, continue to celebrate the cranberry harvest, and similar feasts were held long before Columbus sailed and the Pilgrims landed.
Only one eyewitness account of the 1621 feast survives: a letter from the Pilgrim Edward Winslow. He reported that Wampanoag leader Massasoit brought 90 men. Some historians suggest that the gathering was as much a diplomatic event marking an alliance as a harvest celebration.
This ‘Thanksgiving Day’ illustration, made by cartoonist Thomas Nast, commemorated its first celebration as a U.S. holiday. Syracuse University Art Museum
In that meal, Plymouth residents brought “fowl” (probably wild turkey), but the Wampanoag contributed five deer. Even the harvest of “Indian corn” depended on Native aid. Tisquantum (Squanto), the survivor of the village the Pilgrims named Plymouth, offered crucial advice on planting and diplomacy.
Death and hardship framed this encounter. The Pilgrims lost nearly half their group during their first winter. The Wampanoag, meanwhile, had suffered a regional epidemic between 1616 and 1619, leaving villages deserted and driving both communities toward alliance.
Over time, the Pilgrims came to dominate the national Thanksgiving narrative. Through commemorations, sermons, and publications, their role was elevated — reshaping the holiday into a symbol of American origins as much as a day of gratitude.