From the historic 1621 harvest to the short-lived alliance between the English and the Wampanoag people, go inside the real story of the first Thanksgiving at Plymouth.
Public DomainThe First Thanksgiving 1621 by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris (1899).
For many Americans today, Thanksgiving is a beloved annual holiday centered around family, gratitude, and a delicious feast of turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie.
But the popular story of its origins — a simple, humble, harmonious meal between Pilgrims and their Native American neighbors — is layered with centuries of myth and a far more complicated history.
The 1621 event, a three-day harvest celebration, was not called “Thanksgiving” at the time that it happened, and it was born from a fragile, short-lived political alliance, not a genuine friendship. The food, the clothing, and the very nature of the relationship between the Wampanoag and the English at the event are often misunderstood.
This celebration has since been reframed into a national symbol that holds different, and often painful, meanings for many people to this day.
Below, you’ll find some of the most frequently asked questions about the first Thanksgiving, as well as the answers that may come as a shock.
When Was The First Thanksgiving?
The event now referred to as the “first Thanksgiving” was a three-day harvest celebration that took place during the autumn of 1621.
It was held by the English Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony and members of the Wampanoag Nation. The gathering was to celebrate the Pilgrims’ first successful corn harvest in the “New World,” which was largely made possible thanks to the agricultural guidance of the Wampanoag.
The celebration occurred sometime between late September and mid-November.
Who Was At The First Thanksgiving?
The 1621 harvest feast was attended by 52 English colonists and at least 90 Wampanoag men. The Wampanoag delegation was led by their sachem (chief), Massasoit, and included other Native American figures like Squanto. The English attendees included their governor, William Bradford, and Captain Myles Standish.
Public DomainLanding of the Pilgrims by Charles Lucy.
This gathering of roughly 140 people was not a small, quiet dinner but a large, communal, and diplomatic event that seemed to affirm the alliance between the two groups — at least for the time being.
Why Did The Wampanoag Attend?
The Wampanoag attended the first Thanksgiving primarily because they heard the sound of gunfire from the colonists’ celebration and came to investigate, unsure whether it signaled danger or festivities.
Once they understood the situation, they stayed for the feast, which became a diplomatic gathering meant to reinforce their recent peace treaty.
It was largely a strategic move on the Wampanoag’s part. The nation had been devastated by European diseases in recent years, losing up to 90 percent of their population, and faced threats from rival tribes at the same time. The colonists offered potential military support and trading opportunities.
Was It Really Called “Thanksgiving”?
No, the 1621 celebration was not called “Thanksgiving” by its participants.
The Pilgrims typically used the term “thanksgiving” to describe religious days of prayer and fasting, which were usually far more solemn occasions.
Wikimedia CommonsMassasoit smoking a traditional pipe with Governor John Carver in Plymouth.
The 1621 gathering was more accurately a harvest festival or celebration. While there was likely some prayer involved during the meals, the event was also focused on feasting, recreation, and socializing. Edward Winslow, one of the colonists who documented the event, described it simply as a time when they “rejoiced together” after gathering their harvest.
The term “first Thanksgiving” was only applied to this feast much later, in the 19th century, after a letter describing the event was rediscovered.
Did They Eat Turkey?
Turkey may have been served at the first Thanksgiving, but if it was, it probably wasn’t the centerpiece of the meal like it is today.
Edward Winslow’s account mentions that colonists went “fowling” and brought back birds for the feast. Wild turkey was abundant in the region and could have been among the fowl served. However, the menu likely featured a much wider variety of wildfowl, including ducks, geese, and swans.
The Wampanoag brought five deer to the feast, so venison was definitely a major protein source at the meal, possibly more central than poultry. If turkey was present, it would have been wild turkey, which tastes quite different from domesticated birds and has darker, gamier meat.
The modern emphasis on turkey as the quintessential Thanksgiving food developed much later on in American history.
What Food Was On The Menu?
The 1621 feast featured a bounty of local food.
The Wampanoag provided five deer, making venison a major part of the meal. Other documented foods included wildfowl (such as ducks, geese, and possibly turkeys) and corn in its grain form.
Frederic Lewis/Archive Photos/Getty ImagesAn illustration of the first Thanksgiving.
Based on the location and season, historians believe that the menu also included seafood like mussels, lobsters, oysters, bass, and eels. The people in attendance also would have eaten local produce like squash, nuts, and berries.
What Popular Thanksgiving Foods Were Not At The Feast?
Many now-iconic Thanksgiving foods were absent from the 1621 celebration, and in some cases, they hadn’t even been invented yet.
Mashed potatoes couldn’t have been served because white potatoes hadn’t yet become common in North America. Cranberry sauce wasn’t available since the colonists lacked sufficient sugar supplies to make sweetened preserves.
Unsurprisingly, sweet potato casserole with marshmallows is a much more modern creation — while sweet potatoes existed, modern marshmallows weren’t invented until centuries later. Pumpkin pie was likewise impossible without flour for crusts, butter, or proper ovens for baking; if pumpkin appeared at all during the feast, it was likely boiled or stewed.
Stuffing as we know it, green bean casserole, and dinner rolls were all absent too. The Pilgrims had no cows yet, so butter, milk, and cheese weren’t available to make the richer foods the holiday is known for today.
Did The Pilgrims Wear Black Clothes With White Collars And Buckles On Their Hats?
This is a popular myth, but no.
The Pilgrims typically wore colorful clothing in shades like red, green, violet, and gray, made from wool and linen. Black dye was expensive, so it was usually only available to wealthier individuals. The Pilgrims’ everyday attire was actually quite practical and varied in color.
The iconic image of black-clad Pilgrims with buckled hats and shoes largely comes from Victorian-era artistic interpretations, not historical accuracy. Buckles on hats weren’t fashionable yet in the 1620s — that style became popular later on in the 17th century.
The somber black-and-white stereotype likely arose from later Puritan aesthetics and 19th-century romanticization of colonial history.
Who Was Squanto?
Squanto, whose full name was Tisquantum, was a member of the Patuxet tribe, a branch of the Wampanoag Confederacy, who served as an interpreter and intermediary at the 1621 harvest celebration.
Wikimedia CommonsAn illustration of Squanto from a 1922 children’s book.
He had been kidnapped by English explorers in his youth and taken to Europe, where he was sold into slavery in Spain. He escaped, possibly with the help of Catholic friars, made his way to England, and learned the English language while living in the country for several years. When he finally returned to his homeland around 1619, he discovered his village had been wiped out by European disease. He then lived with the nearby Wampanoag.
Squanto also became invaluable to the Plymouth colonists, teaching them how to fertilize corn, where to fish, and how to avoid poisonous plants.
He died in 1622 from what William Bradford called “Indian fever.”
How Long Did The Celebration Last?
The 1621 harvest celebration lasted for three days.
Unlike modern Thanksgiving, it was not a single meal, but a multi-day event that included feasting, drinking, and recreational activities. Edward Winslow’s account mentions that the Wampanoag guests “entertained and feasted” with the colonists, and that the colonists “exercised our arms” (likely a military drill or a demonstration of marksmanship), while the Wampanoag engaged in their own games and athletic displays.
Was The Relationship Between The Pilgrims And Wampanoag Peaceful?
Initially, relations were relatively peaceful due to mutual strategic interests, but tensions were known to have existed from the start.
The peace treaty of 1621 served both groups: The Wampanoag had been devastated by disease and needed allies against rival tribes, while the colonists desperately needed Indigenous resources to survive.
Of course, it wasn’t an equal relationship.
Wikimedia CommonsNative Americans attacking a log cabin during King Philip’s War.
The colonists occupied land that had belonged to the Patuxet people before disease killed them. Cultural misunderstandings were frequent, and the English often showed disrespect for Indigenous customs.
As more English settlers arrived, competition for land and resources in the area intensified greatly. The peaceful period was brief and fragile, largely dependent on the leadership of individuals like Massasoit and strained by the colonists’ expanding territorial ambitions.
What Happened To The Alliance?
The alliance deteriorated rapidly after the deaths of key leaders and peacekeepers and as colonial expansion accelerated.
Massasoit maintained peace until his death in 1661, but relations grew increasingly strained as English settlers continually encroached on Indigenous lands and resources. Massasoit’s son Metacomet (called “King Philip” by the English) became the leader of the Wampanoag and watched angrily as colonial authorities seized more and more land.
These tensions ultimately exploded into King Philip’s War (1675-1676), one of the bloodiest conflicts in American history relative to the population at the time. The war devastated New England, killing thousands of Native Americans and destroying numerous English towns. The colonists ultimately prevailed, and Metacomet was killed and beheaded.
The war effectively ended Indigenous power in southern New England, with many survivors killed, enslaved, or forced to flee.
When Did Thanksgiving Become A National Holiday?
Thanksgiving became a national holiday in 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed it so, following a persistent campaign by magazine editor Sarah Josepha Hale.
Hale had written letters to Lincoln and other political leaders for years, arguing that a national Thanksgiving would help unite the country. Lincoln, amid the Civil War, saw the value in a unifying national holiday and declared the last Thursday in November as a national day of thanksgiving.
However, the date remained fluid until 1941, when Congress established Thanksgiving as a federal holiday on the fourth Thursday of November.
National ArchivesPresident Franklin D. Roosevelt helped establish the date of our modern Thanksgiving celebration.
Initially, President Franklin D. Roosevelt hoped to move the holiday to November 23rd to assist businesses that wanted more days to promote their Christmas presents for sale, but many Americans were opposed to the earlier date. The 1941 legislation, ensuring Thanksgiving would fall on the fourth Thursday of the month, resolved the “Franksgiving” debate for good.
Which President Refused To Celebrate Thanksgiving?
Thomas Jefferson was famously opposed to proclaiming a national day of thanksgiving as president in 1801. In 1779, however, while Governor of Virginia, Jefferson had declared a day of “Thanksgiving and Prayer,” so his stance was not “anti-Thanksgiving,” but instead had to do with the fact that he didn’t think Thanksgiving should be the responsibility of the federal government.
Jefferson was a staunch believer in the separation of church and state and viewed such national proclamations as a sort of religious intrusion. He believed that prayer and religious fasting were matters for individuals and religious organizations, not the federal government.
As president, he refused to issue any thanksgiving proclamations, a policy that set him apart from his predecessors, George Washington and John Adams, and also his successor, James Madison.
What Is The “National Day Of Mourning”?
The National Day of Mourning is an annual demonstration, inspired by a 1970 protest at Plymouth Rock, which is meant to challenge the romanticized Thanksgiving story and to remember Indigenous ancestors.
It was also inspired by a Wampanoag man named Wamsutta (Frank B.) James, who had been prevented from delivering a speech at a Thanksgiving anniversary celebration that would’ve acknowledged uncomfortable truths about what followed the 1621 feast — including land theft, genocidal atrocities, and widespread cultural destruction.
The event serves as a solemn reminder that Thanksgiving represents a catastrophic loss for Indigenous peoples: most of their lands, lives, and cultures. Participants today often gather at Cole’s Hill in Plymouth, Massachusetts, for a day of mourning and remembrance of Native ancestors and a protest against the ongoing racism toward Indigenous Americans.
While the event is not about erasing the first Thanksgiving, it does promote acknowledging the full, complex history — including Indigenous perspectives on colonization’s devastating impacts that continue to this day.
After this look at the first Thanksgiving, learn all about Samoset, the Native American who first greeted the Pilgrims. Or, see how 15 other countries around the world celebrate Thanksgiving.
