THANKSGIVING FROM MASSACHUSETTS
Written: Nov 22 '01
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Massachusetts is a country rich with American history.
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: A little bit of Thanksgiving history about Massachusetts.
|
|
|
| Mawsqaw's Full Review: Massachusetts |
MASSACHUSETTS is a State where a lot of American History comes from. Paul Revere's famous ride began here. Babe Ruth hit his most home here. Today I want to tell you about our PILGRIM FATHERS.
Did you know that the first THANKSGIVING CELEBRATION happened in 1621 and lasted for 3 days?
The first Celebrations took place in Plymouth,
Massachusetts. In Charlestown , Massachusetts "The Governing Council" Proclaimed, (1976), that June 29th would be the date of the Celebration.
HISTORY:
The Pilgrims were English Separatists who broke away from the Church of England. They were "asked" to leave England and they did. Many went to Holland and other European Countries. Others met at Plymouth, England in 1920 to sail on the Ship called the MAYFLOWER. Their destination was the "New World". There were 102 Passengers who made this voyage that took 65 days.
The term Pilgrim was first used by William Bradford to describe the Leiden Separatists when they were leaving Holland. The first place they saw was Provincetown in Cape Cod Bay. They anchored there for a while until they decided to settle in Plymouth Harbor. This was the first permanent English Settlement in the United States.
The 102 People who made the voyage are known as the PILGRIM FATHERS. They are:
John Alden
William Bradford
William Brewster
John Carver
Myles Standish
The Winslow Brothers
They knew they did not own the land that they settled on. They negotiated for their land with the WAMPONOAG TRIBE, (1630). The result of this negotiation was the Mayflower Compact.
THE MAYFLOWER COMPACT:
"In the name of God, Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, the Loyal Subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord, King James, by the Grace of God, of England, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia; do by these presents, solemnly and mutually in the Presence of God and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politic, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid;
And by Virtue hereof to enact,constitute, and frame, such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts,Constitutions and Offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the General good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due submission and obedience.In Witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names at Cape Cod the eleventh of November, in the Reign of our Sovereign Lord, King James of England, France and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth. Anno Domini, 1620."
Forty-one of the Mayflower Passengers signed the contract.
WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT:
The Compact was the basis for writing Laws in the "New Word".
THE FEAST:
The WAMPANOAG TRIBE were invited to join the Pilgrims to Celebrate the Compact. The Celebration was a Feast.
They did not eat Turkey, Cranberries, Corn or Pies. No one is sure what foods were served at the Feast. The menu may have been made up of sea food, wild fowl, wild meat, nuts, beans, onions, carrots, lettuce, pumpkins and wild plums and grapes.
GOOD TABLE MANNER IN THE 17th Century:
1) People at that time had no forks. They did have spoons and knives. They used these utensils as well as their fingers when they were eating.
2) They always had a large napkin that was used to pick up hot food and to wipe their hands.
3) They used salt on the table. Pepper was only used in cooking but never put on the table.
4) I am sure you have heard the phrase, "sitting below the salt"? This was no laughing matter at this time because the " Important People" sat near the salt as well as the best food. They others were "below the line" and ate what they could grab.
5) Food was served all at once. There was no such thing as "courses".
THE THANKSGIVING MYTHS, (compiled by James W. Baker Senior Historian at Plymouth Plantation):
"MYTH: The first Thanksgiving was in 1621 and the pilgrims celebrated it every year thereafter.
FACT: The first feast wasn't repeated, so it wasn't the beginning of a tradition. In fact, the colonists didn't even call the day Thanksgiving. To them, a thanksgiving was a religious holiday in which they would go to church and thank God for a specific event, such as the winning of a battle. On such a religious day, the types of recreational activities that the pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians participated in during the 1621 harvest feast--dancing, singing secular songs, playing games--wouldn't have been allowed. The feast was a secular celebration, so it never would have been considered a thanksgiving in the pilgrims minds.
MYTH: The original Thanksgiving feast took place on the fourth Thursday of November.
FACT: The original feast in 1621 occurred sometime between September 21 and November 11. Unlike our modern holiday, it was three days long. The event was based on English harvest festivals, which traditionally occurred around the 29th of September. President Franklin D. Roosevelt set the date for Thanksgiving to the fourth Thursday of November in 1939 (approved by Congress in 1941). Abraham Lincoln had previously designated it as the last Thursday in November, which may have correlated it with the November 21, 1621, anchoring of the Mayflower at Cape Cod.
MYTH: The pilgrims wore only black and white clothing. They had buckles on their hats, garments, and shoes.
FACT: Buckles did not come into fashion until later in the seventeenth century and black and white were commonly worn only on Sunday and formal occasions. Women typically dressed in red, earthy green, brown, blue, violet, and gray, while men wore clothing in white, beige, black, earthy green, and brown.
MYTH: The pilgrims brought furniture with them on the Mayflower.
FACT: The only furniture that the pilgrims brought on the Mayflower was chests and boxes. They constructed wooden furniture once they settled in Plymouth.
MYTH: The Mayflower was headed for Virginia, but due to a navigational mistake it ended up in Cape Cod Massachusetts.
FACT: The Pilgrims were in fact planning to settle in Virginia, but not the modern-day state of Virginia. They were part of the Virginia Company, which had the rights to most of the eastern seaboard of the U.S. The pilgrims had intended to go to the Hudson River region in New York State, which would have been considered Northern Virginia, but they landed in Cape Cod instead. Treacherous seas prevented them from venturing further south."
MY FAVORITE THANKSGIVING VIDEOS:
1) Bugs Bunny's Thanksgiving Diet: Produced and animated at the Walt Disney Studio. It runs 28 minutes.
2) Home for the Holidays: The History of Thanksgiving begins with the Pilgrims Feast and ends with the Macy's Parade in New York City. It is 50 minutes long.
3) Pocahontas: Her True Story runs 50 minutes. The Story is about the life of a Native-American Princess her mark on our Country.
Massachusetts if one of the original thirteen colonies that formed the United States. Today, Massachusetts is famous for the Kennedy Family who live there. Especially President John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy. Their family compound is still there.My favorite city is Boston. We sailed into the beautiful harbor there. It is full of old historical buildings and colleges. You can walk the "Freedom Trail" or go shopping in Faniel Hall, a huge outdoor shopping mall. The Fall Foliage is beautiful to behold throughout the state of Massachusetts.
So a little bit of Thanksgiving history, and a little bit of Massachusetts history combined in one.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Sep - Nov
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
Mawsqaw
|
|
Member: Sharon
Location: Southern California
Reviews written: 192
Trusted by: 68 members
About Me:
PRAYING FOR AMERICA!! GOD BLESS THE USA!!
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.