The first Thanksgiving is considered the celebration of the harvest in which the pilgrims and Native Americans had a ceremony that has been considered a symbol of friendship. The initial intent of the holiday was to celebrate cooperation and unity. However, several years later, the primary aspect of the celebratory feast between colonists and Native Americans changed.
The pilgrims were initially the ones who made the gathering possible. Authors have mentioned the pilgrims by suggesting “they began now to gather in the small harvest they had” (Levine et al. 154). By “they”, the author refers to the colonists who received lessons on agriculture, harvesting, and farming from the settlers. This helped them survive in the harsh environment, and they showed gratitude by having a feast with the people who have assisted them through the hard times.
Native Americans and pilgrims gathered after Mayflower passengers had lost many of their peers because of diseases and harsh conditions. The remaining settlers received guidance from Native Americans on how to fish, cultivate, and avoid poisonous plants and berries. This is why the autumn harvest was progress for the colonists, even though it was small. The settlers invited their Native American peers to celebrate with them as an opportunity to show gratitude.
There are no reliable sources of information that would reject or confirm the idea that this is how the first Thanksgiving was celebrated. William Bradford’s account of the event is one of the only remaining evidence of the event that occurred at the time. However, certain historians mention such celebrations as common events that were relevant at the time throughout multiple cultures around the world. Several years later, Thanksgivings served much more sinister purposes, such as celebrating colonists for murdering native tribes. Nowadays, the holiday has negative connotations due to recent discoveries and acknowledgment of crimes that were celebrated during early thanksgivings.
Work Cited
Levine, Robert S., et al. The Norton Anthology of American Literature: Beginnings To 1820. 9th ed., A, W.W. Norton, 2012.