Thanksgiving Reading

A Tour of Thanksgiving and Perseverance

Challenge Your Reading Skills

As you read the following passages about Thanksgiving history, see how well you can recall details and draw conclusions about your reading.

Who? What? When?

In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Native Americans shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn’t until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.

Multiple Choice

Who celebrated the first Thanksgiving?

• Wampanoag Native Americans and British explorers

• Wampanoag Native Americans and Plymouth colonists

• Wampanoag and Pequot Native Americans

• Only Wampanoag Native Americans in the same social bubble - per CDC recommendation

Multiple Choice

What do you think made the first Thanksgiving a celebration full of "thankfulness?"

• just the food and people

• the mild East Coast weather

• education

• survival during a very challenging time

Multiple Choice

When was Thanksgiving declared a national holiday?

• during a time of great peace and prosperity

• during a time of great suffering and division

• during the medieval times

• during a time of success

How long ago? How many?

In September 1620, a small ship called the Mayflower left Plymouth, England, carrying 102 passengers—an assortment of religious separatists seeking a new home where they could freely practice their faith and other individuals lured by the promise of prosperity and land ownership in the New World. Throughout that first brutal winter, most of the colonists remained on board the ship, where they suffered from exposure, scurvy and outbreaks of contagious disease. Only half of the Mayflower’s original passengers and crew lived to see their first New England spring.

Multiple Choice

How long ago was the event that led to the first Thanksgiving (the Mayflower leaving Plymouth, England)?

• 200 years ago

• 50 years ago

• 400 years ago

• 800 years ago

Multiple Choice

How many immigrants were aboard the Mayflower?

• 0

• 102

• 200

• 400

Multiple Choice

How many immigrants ultimately survived the first winter?

• only half survived

• only one quarter survived

• only three quarters survived

• they all survived

Why?

The Pilgrims held their second Thanksgiving celebration in 1623 to mark the end of a long drought that had threatened the year’s harvest and prompted Governor Bradford to call for a religious fast. Days of fasting and thanksgiving on an annual or occasional basis became common practice in other New England settlements as well. 

Multiple Choice

Why did the Pilgrims celebrate a second Thanksgiving?

• to celebrate peace and smooth sailing

• to celebrate the survival of another challenging time

• to celebrate economic prosperity

• to celebrate the release of new Netflix shows

"Express gratitude" for what?

During the American Revolution, the Continental Congress designated one or more days of thanksgiving a year, and in 1789 George Washington issued the first Thanksgiving proclamation by the national government of the United States; in it, he called upon Americans to express their gratitude for the conclusion to the country’s war of independence and the successful ratification of the U.S. Constitution.

Multiple Choice

Washington wanted people to express gratitude for what?

• For perseverance through a horrible time of suffering (war)

• For the good and easy life

• For New England winters

• For pumkin pie.

What is one common theme in the history of this holiday that is particularly relevant for us to remember this year?

Think about what those first defining Thanksgivings had in common.

Open Ended

One common theme (or reality) of the early Thanksgiving celebrations was... and this is particularly important to remember this year because... (write your answer).

Hang on to hope this Thanksgiving season! No matter how you celebrate, or even if you don't celebrate, take time to recognize your own perseverance during this time in history. In addition to thankfulness, perseverance is the heart of this holiday. See you in a week! - Mrs. Richmond

Multiple Choice

What do you think made the first Thanksgiving a celebration full of "thankfulness?"

• just the food and people

• the mild East Coast weather

• education

• survival during a very challenging time