9 Lies You’ve Been Told About the First Thanksgiving
In over a hundred years of exploration, trading, and slave capture by Europeans on the North American mainland, one English dude made a few notes about the harvest festival in his city:
“When our harvest was gathered, our ruler sent four men to hunt, so that we could rejoice together in a special way, after we had gathered the fruits of our labors; they four in one day killed as much game as with a little help, served the company for almost a week, during which time, among other entertainments, we exercised our weapons, there were many Indians among us, and among others their greatest king Massasoit with about ninety men whom we entertained and feasted for three days, and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought to the plantation and presented to our governor, captain, and others. And although it is not always as plentiful as it was with us at that time, but, by the goodness of God, we are so far from need that we often wish you partakers of our abundance.
About 400 years later, a whole mythology developed around this event, filled with themes of friendship, unity and resilience in the face of adversity. It is a pity that almost everything we tell ourselves about this holiday is fictional. Let’s dig and explore the truth behind the lies.