Every year, on the fourth Thursday of November, people in the United States celebrate Thanksgiving. This special holiday remembers the Pilgrims who came from England on a ship called the Mayflower and their first harvest feast in 1621. The Pilgrims wanted to have religious freedom and start a new life in Plymouth Colony.
Before they arrived, many Native American tribes lived in the area, especially the Wampanoag people, who had been there for centuries. Sadly, a few years before the Pilgrims came, many Native Americans died from diseases brought by Europeans. When the Pilgrims arrived, they were cold and hungry. They even took corn from Native storage houses to survive. Half of them died during their first winter.
In March 1621, the Pilgrims made an agreement with the Wampanoag to protect each other. Later, they shared food in a harvest celebration: the first Thanksgiving. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national holiday to bring people together after the Civil War.
Today, Americans celebrate Thanksgiving by eating turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie, spending time with family, and giving thanks for what they have.
Vocabulary:
• Pilgrim (noun): a person who travels for religious reasons.
• Harvest (noun): the time when crops are collected from the fields.
• Feast (noun): a large meal for a special occasion.
• Puritan (noun): a member of a strict religious group from England.
• Epidemic (noun): when a disease spreads very quickly among many people.
• Agreement (noun): a promise or decision made between people or groups.