Anno 1621: First Thanksgiving

What follows is from William Bradford's Of Plymouth Plantation, his history of the pilgrims who settled in Massachusetts in 1620:

They began now to gather in the small harvest they had, and to fit up their houses and dwellings against winter, being all well recovered in health and strength and had all things in good plenty. For as some were thus employed in affairs abroad, others were exercised in fishing, about cod and bass and other fish, of which they took good store, of which every family had their portion. All the summer there was no want; and now began to come in store of fowl, as winter approached, of which this place did about when they came first (but afterward decreased by degrees). And besides water fowl there was great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many, besides venison, etc. Besides they had about a peck a meal a week to a person, or now since harvest, Indian corn to that proportion. Which made many afterwards write so largely of their plenty here to their friends in England, which were not feigned but true reports.

Bradford makes no particular mention of a feast, with or without the native population, only that after that first brutal winter (the starving time) they had enough to eat for the winter of 1621-1622. Bradford's account characteristically celebrates subsistance but also acknowledges that the land of plenty isn't a land of endless plenty.

Apparently the foundation of the Thanksgiving feast and the comes from a letter written by Plymouth Plantation resident Edward Winslow and sent to an acquaintance in England. The letter is dated 11 December 1621, but no specific date is given for the event:

Our harvest being gotten in, our Governor [Bradford] sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a more special manner rejoice together, after we had gathered the fruits of our labours. 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 amongst the rest their greatest king, Massasoit with some 90 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.

There you have it. Happy Thanksgiving to all and to all a good feast!