Squanto and Thanksgiving Day
The first American Thanksgiving dates back to the year 1621. This is when the pilgrims arrived in the New World at Plymouth Plantation. Thanks to the Native Americans, who taught them how to fish and grow corn, they were able to celebrate their first harvest. Together they prayed for a fruitful and abundant harvest. This is the story of Squanto, a Patuxent Native American who settled with the New England Colonists and served as an interpreter for them. In his early days he was abducted by Englishman Thomas Hunt who planned on selling him and other native captives in Málaga, Spain. He was then taken by a ship captain to London where he learned English and assisted as an interpreter for Captain Thomas Dermer. In 1619, Squanto was sent with Dermer to New England to trade with the local American Indians. Upon arrival at his village, he learned his people were decimated by European diseases and plagues for which they had no immunity or cure. Squanto settled in with the Wampanoag at Nemasket under the permission of their king Massasoit with the remaining survivors of his tribe. The following year, Massasoit formed an alliance with the pilgrims agreeing to teach them how to survive the harsh winters if they promised to bring no harm to the tribe. Through Squanto’s knowledge of English, their friendship was forged. This led to the first Thanksgiving taking place with the Pilgrims and Massasoit’s tribe joining together. Most U.S. states, by the beginning of the 19th century, celebrated Thanksgiving on the final Thursday of November. In 1863 Lincoln proclaimed this date official while attempting to raise a sense of American unity between the Northern and Southern states during the turmoil of the Civil War. Once again the date would be changed when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a joint resolution of Congress on December 26, 1941. Today we celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November to give thanks with our families and continue with holiday traditions. We would also like to take this opportunity and thank our esteemed clients all over the U.S. for their continued support over the years.