It’s November which means Thanksgiving is right around the corner! Most people celebrate Thanksgiving by spending time with their family, giving thanks for their blessings, and eating a TON of tasty food. A lot of people know about pilgrims and Indians, but most people don’t know the true story.

It all started when  the Pilgrims were being religiously persecuted. To escape this, they moved to the Netherlands. There they had a lot more freedom, but didn’t like the Dutch way of life. They wanted a better life, so they set sail on the Mayflower. Hundreds of people and their kids sailed off hoping for a better life. It was a really rough journey to America. There was a lot of bad storms. Thunder and lighting destroyed the ship, and also made seas rough and wild. The Mayflower nearly shipwrecked many times. Other than bad storms, a lot of people became sick. The ship wasn’t the cleanest, and it was pretty run down. Person after person became sick. A majority of people even died. It was a very long and rough journey, but after 66 days, they finally arrived in Cape Cod.

They intended to arrive in the Hudson River, New York, but the winds and storms caused them to land in Cape Cod. They still struggled to find food and with sicknesses. The pilgrims started to lose hope. Then, they met the Wampanoag Indians. That’s when they signed a peace treaty between the governor William Bradford and the chief Massasoit. The Wampanoag tribe saw them struggling and decided to help them out. They taught the Pilgrims how to grow their own food, how to farm and how to fish. They collected the harvest. Then they gathered around, eating their food and the Pilgrims gave thanks to the Wampanoag for helping them, and showing them a better way of life.

So, this Thanksgiving whether you are spending time with family or eating a bunch a food, remember why you are giving thanks.

What is your favorite thing about Thanksgiving?