Nice Myth: Not the way it happened
My kids came home the other day from Cortland School and said that 102 of the students were going to see what it was like to ride on the Mayflower. The fifth grade class had drawn a chalk outline of the Mayflower on the playground and they had to pack items for the trans-Atlantic voyage. 62 days, in fact.
Like many of American holidays, Thanksgiving is filled with myths. We have a penchant for idealizing stories, when, in fact, the real version is much interesting.
The Pilgrims ( called The Separatists at the time) originally set sail from Defthaven, Holland on two ships The Mayflower and the Speedwell. The Speedwell encountered problems at sea and both ships put in at Plymouth, England. A total of 102 passengers left Plymouth on September 6, 1620 bound for the New World. Of the 102 passengers only 43 adults were listed as Pilgrims. The remainder were listed as “Strangers.” These were individuals who were seeking their fortunes in the New World and not part of the separatists who were seeking religious freedom.
The group was sailing for the mouth of the Hudson River, but with winter approaching and provisions running short they had to abandon their original plans. They anchored at Provincetown Harbor on November 11, 1620. It was only later that they lead expeditions arriving at Plymouth Harbor. It was purely coincidence that the place they started from and the place they ended up bare the same name. The area had been surveyed and mapped years earlier by John Smith of the Jamestown Colony and was already called Plymouth.
Of the original 102 passengers on the Mayflower, only 53 remained to partake in the First Thanksgiving of 1621 with Chief Massasoit and 90 of his men. While this all sounds very We-Are-The-World, the original plans for the Hudson Bay pilgrim settlement called for enslaving the indigenous people. Squanto, the Indian, didn’t just magically know English. He spent years in Europe as a slave before being returned to his homeland. The Pilgrims ( and the Strangers as well ) would not have survived were it not for the generosity of the indigenous people. The Thanksgiving meal consisted of five deer provided by the Indians, salt cod, wild birds, corn, squash, and native berries, including cranberries.
What I’m thankful for:
- I have a lot of wonderful people in my life. I have a great family: a wonderful wife and two great children. I have wonderful friends who are genuine and caring. I work with a fantastic group of people who are dedicated to their work and are some of the funniest people on the face of the Earth.
- I am very thankful for good health. In early September I was in the hospital barely able to move. Yet, I rebounded quickly and was able to compete in Ironman Florida.
- I live in a friendly, caring community. I remember when I graduated from college the best sight was Seymour, Indiana in my rearview mirror. I vowed never to return. Luckily, I gained some sense along the way and realize now what a great place it is. What we lack in hip, we make up for in our values.
- I am thankful that we have what we need. Sure, there are things that I’d like, but when I look at it from a global perspective we live better than 95% of the world’s population.
- I am thankful for the freedoms that we enjoy. The freedom to worship as we please, speak our mind, to freely elect our leaders. Thankful for those who served that we all can enjoy those freedoms.
- May your Thanksgiving be a happy and healthy one.
