SQUANTO – A TRUE AMERICAN HERO
Here is one
version on the story of America’s first Thanksgiving: Within the first year,
half of the 102 Pilgrims who landed in America, died. Of the 50 who remained
only 6 or 7 were strong enough to care for the others.
William
Bradford was their leader. He survived the first devastating winter of 1620 and
went on to serve as governor of Plymouth for 33 years. From his book, Of
Plymouth Plantation, comes his perception of what happened; this amazing
story of how God intervened so that the Pilgrims could survive in this new land:
“About ye 16.
Of March a certaine Indian
came bouldly amongst
them, and spoke to them in broken English, which they could well understand,
but marveled at it… He tould them also of another Indian whos name
was Squanto, a native of this place, who had been in England & could speake better
English then him selfe.
“Afterwards
they (as many as were able) began to plant ther corne,
in which servise Squanto
stood them in great stead, showing them both ye maner how
to set it, and after how to dress & tend it. Also he tould them excepte they
got fish & set with it (in these old grounds) it would come to nothing, and
he showed them yt in
ye midle of
Aprill they should have store enough come up ye brooke,
by which they begane to
build, and taught them how to take it, and wher to
get other provisions necessary for them; all which they found true by trial
& experience… And thus they found ye Lord to be with them in all their
ways, and to blesse their
outgoings & incomings, for which let his holy name have ye praise for
ever, to all posteritie.”
Bradford
added, “Squanto… was a special instrument sent of God for their good beyond
their expectation.”
How God worked
in Squanto’s life is really amazing. In 1605, a member of the Native American
Patuxet tribe, Squanto was captured by an English explorer and taken to England
where he learned to speak English. In 1614 Captain John Smith brought him back
to America but he was captured again and taken to Spain to be sold as a slave.
Local Catholic friars rescued him and introduced him to Christianity.
He went back
to England and got on a ship to his native America. But when he got home, he
found that all of his tribe had been killed by a plague. The sudden death of
the whole tribe scared the neighboring tribes and so they never went onto the
property, making it available for the Pilgrims. Also because of the odd
circumstances of the tribe’s annihilation, the other tribes didn’t attack the
Pilgrims and Squanto facilitated a peace treaty that lasted over 50 years.
With Squanto’s
help, the Pilgrims’ second winter was much better. To celebrate, Governor
Bradford appointed a day of Thanksgiving and invited Squanto’s newly adopted
tribe to come and give thanks to God with them. The chief and 90 of his men
came and feasted. They ate deer, turkey, fish, lobster, eels, vegetables, corn
bread, berries, pies and popcorn that the Native Americans showed the Pilgrims
how to make. They competed in games of wrestling, shooting and running.
The chief had such a good time he and his men stayed and celebrated for three
days.
This was the
first official American Thanksgiving.
If you’d like
to read more about this time in America I recommend America’s
Providential History by Mark Beliles and Stephen McDowell and William
Bradford: Plymouth’s Faithful Pilgrim by Gary Schmidt.
Love, Carolyn
My books and booklets are
available on Amazon
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