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It was Sarah Josepha Hale, a magazine editor, whose efforts eventually led to what we recognize as Thanksgiving. Hale wrote many editorials championing her cause in her Boston Ladies' Magazine, and later, in Godey's Lady's Book. Finally, after a 40-year campaign of writing editorials and letters to governors and presidents, Hale's obsession became a reality when, in 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November as a national day of Thanksgiving. |
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Mayflower Web Pages
From Caleb Johnson’s MayflowerHistory.com
The Mayflower Web Pages is a very teacher- and kid-friendly place. You will find:
• a complete list of passengers and biographies (which include lots of interesting information including family genealogies, last will and testaments, and more),
• a history of the Mayflower and its voyage,
• documents including the Mayflower Compact (1620) and the Peace Treaty with Massasoit (1621),
• letters written by the Pilgrims,
• special pages devoted to girls and women on the Mayflower,
• a biography of Tisquantum (Squanto) that explains how he came to speak English, and
• special pages devoted to the clothing and weapons of the Pilgrims.
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You Are the Historian: Investigating the First Thanksgiving
From Plimoth.org
One of the best tools upper elementary teachers can use is the excellent simulation by the Plimouth Plantation people titled You Are the Historian. It’s a great way for younger kids to begin using primary sources to solve the question of what actually happened during the first Thanksgiving. |
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The Society of Mayflower Descendants in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
From SAIL 1620.org
This site is the home of the Society of Mayflower Descendants in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Society consists of descendants of the Pilgrims, the 102 English passengers who came to New England from Holland and England aboard the ship Mayflower in 1620. |
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Pilgrim Clothing
From SAIL 1620.org
"Pilgrim men did not wear black breeches, square white collar and cuffs, wide buckled belts, black steeple hats with a buckle, nor did Pilgrim women wear full black skirts, white aprons and dark capes. Puritan adults in Boston may have worn these clothes on formal occasions after 1632, but in 1621 the Pilgrims wore entirely different clothing." This link also contains "the names (and ages) of the children in Plymouth that survived the first winter." |
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The First Thanksgiving
From Scholastic
A children’s page from the publishers of Scholastic Magazine that includes a picture timeline, information about the voyage of the Mayflower and life in 1621 Plimoth as well as a teachers’ guide. |
Letters from the Mayflower, Letters from the Tribe
From Scholastic
Sign up to receive three letters from a young girl traveling on the Mayflower* and three letters from a young Native American boy*. Give your class a glimpse of history through the eyes of two school-age children. The letters will arrive in your inbox on November 6, 13, and 20. Each one includes fun facts about the time period and thoughtful insights that make excellent jumping off points for class discussion or further investigation. |
First Thanksgiving Reader's Theater Ideas
From Scholastic
Use these interview transcripts as inspiration for Thanksgiving reader’s theater that brings history to life. |
The Pilgrims and Plymouth Colony: 1620
From Roots Web
A study guide by Duane Cline for teachers and students about the Pilgrims and the Wampanoags. |
America’s Museum of Pilgrim Possessions
From The Pilgrim Hall Museum
This site tells the Pilgrim Story and what others have said about it, as well as biographical information, wills, and inventories of the Pilgrims and information about African Americans in the Old Colony.
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Talk Like a Pilgrim
From Plimoth.org
Some examples of English words, greetings and phrases that might be used in the 17th century. |
The Mayflower Society
From the General Society of Mayflower Descendants
This is the "Mayflower Society," whose members must first document (through primary source records) their direct descent from a Mayflower passenger. The Society publishes the Mayflower Quarterly, and funds and publishes genealogical research into the Mayflower passengers' descendants via its Five Generations project. |
Exploring Native Americans Across the Curriculum
From Education World
The story of Thanksgiving would not be complete without learning about Native Americans! |
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Homework Help
From Plimoth.org
Have you ever wondered what the English Colonists wore in 1620, or why we call them "Pilgrims" today? Did you know that the Wampanoag People have lived here for thousands and thousands of years? The essays you will find in Homework Help will help you answer all these questions and many more." The Plimoth Planation offers Homework Help. |
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Lincoln and Thanksgiving
From the Lincoln Bicentennial
An essay by Professor David Madden on the "Mother and Father of Thanksgiving" - Sarah Josepha Hale and Abraham Lincoln. |
The "Real" Story of the First Thanksgiving?
From Education World
Are you teaching the true Thanksgiving story or is the version you're passing on to your students a blend of fact and myth? Different perspectives and stereotypes are explored on Education World's site. |
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