CICERO © 2010 1

The First Thanksgiving

CICERO © 2010 2

In 1620 the Pilgrims left England on a ship, the Mayflower. They were sailing to the New World.

CICERO © 2010 3

Do you know how it feels to move away and leave friends

behind?

Imagine Yourself At The First Thanksgiving…

CICERO © 2010 4

The Pilgrims sailed to the New World on the Mayflower. It was a long, cold, two-month voyage.

CICERO © 2010 5

How do you think the Pilgrims felt after

their long journey?

Imagine Yourself at the First Thanksgiving …

CICERO © 2010 6

Families on the Mayflower lived together in small

spaces. They had to eat all of their foods

uncooked and cold because the sailors did not want a fire to start

on the ship.

CICERO © 2010 7

Christopher Jones was their captain. The Pilgrims first spotted land at Cape Cod,

but they landed at Plymouth.

CICERO © 2010 8

Plymouth was a better place to land because it

had a better harbor. Also, there were plenty of fish to hunt and eat.

CICERO © 2010 9

Use Your Senses

Imagine Yourself at the First Thanksgiving …

Senses Fish Water

SMELL ? ?

TASTE ? ?

FEEL ? ?

LOOK ? ?

SOUND ? ?

CICERO © 2010 10

The Pilgrims did not leave the Mayflower right away.

It was too cold outside. They had landed at

Plymouth in the middle of the winter. The conditions were so bad they could not

build houses.

CICERO © 2010 11

In the spring the Pilgrims were able to leave the Mayflower

and build houses.

CICERO © 2010 12

The Pilgrims were afraid of the

American Indians, but the American

Indians were peaceful and helped the Pilgrims plant

crops.

CICERO © 2010 13

Samoset walked into the Pilgrims’

settlement one day, and the settlers were

afraid.

CICERO © 2010 14

Samoset came in peace. He welcomed the settlers to the

New World.

The Pilgrims were shocked Samoset knew and

understood English. Samoset had learned English while

fishing with English sailors.

CICERO © 2010 15

On Samoset’s next visit to the Plymouth

settlement, he brought his friend, Squanto, with him.

Squanto spoke better English and had traveled several

times to Spain and England.

CICERO © 2010 16

The Pilgrims did not know what it would be like in the New World. They would not have survived if American

Indians had not taught them to farm and build

homes.

CICERO © 2010 17

Squanto showed the Pilgrims how

to tap maple trees for sap.

CICERO © 2010 18

Imagine Yourself at the First Thanksgiving…

What do maple trees look like? Feel like?

What does the sap from a maple tree taste like?

CICERO © 2010 19

Squanto pointed out the poisonous plants and the plants that

made medicine.He even taught the

Pilgrims to plant crops like corn.

CICERO © 2010 20

By October of that year, the Pilgrims had enough food for the

winter.

CICERO © 2010 21

The Pilgrims stored the corn, fruits, and

vegetables they had grown.

They salted their fish and meats to preserve

them through the winter.

CICERO © 2010 22

The Pilgrims were proud of themselves. They had built

homes to live in, grown crops, and made peace

with the American Indians.

CICERO © 2010 23

Imagine Yourself at the First Thanksgiving …

How do you feel when you do a good job?

CICERO © 2010 24

The governor of the Plymouth settlement was William Bradford. The first Thanksgiving was his idea. The American Indians were invited to the three-day

celebration.

CICERO © 2010 25

The first Thanksgiving was a

celebration of thanks for the crops the

Pilgrims had harvested.

CICERO © 2010 26

The first Thanksgiving was believed to have been held in mid-

October.

CICERO © 2010 27

Use Your Senses

Imagine Yourself at the First Thanksgiving …

Senses October

SMELL ?

TASTE ?

FEEL ?

LOOK ?

SOUND ?

CICERO © 2010 28