The Mayflower Compact, Squanto, and the First Thanksgiving

November 2022 As we prepare to enjoy the company of family and friends during this distinctly American holiday, here are a few facts from our nation's early founding, which may arm you with a few sage-like morsels to share at this year's Thanksgiving table! Please forgive this former American History teacher as I recall some classroom content I thought you might enjoy. Long before President Lincoln proclaimed the fourth Thursday in November a national day of "Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens" in 1863 with the strategic objective of unification during the heat of the American Civil War, the Pilgrims founded Plymouth Colony in 1620. Known as Separatist Puritans (they chose to separate from the Church of England over allegations of corruption and a lack of reform), one hundred and two of them made the sixty-five-day voyage across the Atlantic Ocean on the Mayflower. Upon arrival, the Pilgrims drafted the Mayflower Compact, a document of fewer than two hundred words, which contained the seeds of American democracy with a foundation of liberty based on law, order, and God's word. Included in the document are twelve words, "For the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian Faith…" that clearly articulate the primary reason for the colony was to serve our Lord. William Bradford served as governor of the Plymouth Colony five times between its founding in 1620 and his death in 1657. He maintained meticulous documentation about the Pilgrims' struggles that first winter (forty-six of the original one hundred two colonists died) and their early relations with the Patuxet Indians. One Indian, Squanto, is mentioned explicitly in Bradford's journals, "Squanto was a special instrument sent of God for our good beyond our expectation. He directed us how to set [plant] corn, where to take fish, and to procure other commodities…and [he] never left us until he died." If you don't recall this Native American from your history lessons, Squanto walked out of the North American wilderness speaking fluent English when he met the colonists for the first time – imagine that! Through an amazing story involving slavers who kidnapped him, his transportation to Spain and England, his freedom bought by monks whose ministry focused on education and evangelization, and his subsequent return to the Cape Cod area in 1619, one year before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, can only be explained by the divine presence of God.

The origin of the first "three-day feast" known today as Thanksgiving appears in a letter written by Edward Winslow, one of the signers of the Mayflower Compact (and later the colony's governor), dated December 11, 1621. In his letter, he describes a three-day feast shared by the Plymouth settlers and a local Wampanoag Indian Tribe. He describes the feast consisted of a variety of birds (the American Turkey was not identified yet) that were enough to feed the colony for a week, and five deer were contributed by the Wampanoag Indians (Edward Winslow, 1621). The words contained in the Mayflower Compact and the divine appearance of Squanto, the latter proving vital to the Pilgrims' physical survival, challenges those who would remove all traces of our Christian faith from the public square. Thanksgiving, a distinctly American holiday rooted in the tenants of our Christian faith, provides an excellent opportunity for us to share the gospel, speak openly about Jesus, and our love for our country. We are Christians and Americans, and to Him be the glory! Have a great Thanksgiving, Prince families.

Seth Hathaway, Ed.D. References: Letter of Edward Winslow, December 11, 1621 National Humanities Center, William Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation, 1656