Eva’s Byte #291 – Thanksgiving: Then and Now
A former third-grade teacher for sixteen out of those twenty-nine years spent in the trenches of elementary education, the theme of “Native Americans and Pilgrims” loomed large in our social studies curriculum. Striving to steer away from teaching the subject in a boring and dry-as-hardtack manner, we brought that period in history to the forefront with meaning and relevance for 8 and 9-year-olds, by relying on the book, If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620 by Ann McGovern.
Certainly, major relevance gleaned from the Pilgrim settlement at Plimoth Plantation was the realization that diverse cultures of a community could live in peace and harmony. This is a history lesson worth repeating today.
Then – October of 1621:
The Pilgrims celebrated the "First Thanksgiving" after their first harvest in the New World. The celebration entailed an outdoor feast lasting three days. In attendance—90 Native Americans and 53 Pilgrims.
*During the Mayflower voyage, a steady sea-diet high in salt weakened their bodies. Malnutrition, disease, and the harsh weather claimed as many as 2-3 colonists per day during their first two months on land, diminishing their original fold of 102 by half.
Now – November 26, 2020:
Due to the widespread surge in the COVID-19 pandemic, the CDC has urged Americans to celebrate Thanksgiving virtually, or to assemble in gatherings limited to members of the same household.
Similar to the Pilgrim voyage which gave rise to a Thanksgiving feast, this same holiday is considered the busiest travel juncture of the year in order for family and friends from afar to be together at the dinner table.
*Recent statistics cite that at least 250,000 people in the United States have died from the virus since the pandemic erupted less than a year ago, last February.
Like our Pilgrim forebears, families and friends will need to come to an agreement as to the logistics for giving thanks and counting our blessings.
More importantly, we need to pay the holiday forward by harvesting peace and harmony in our community as the Wampanoags and Pilgrims did during the First Thanksgiving.
*My sincere appreciation if you’ve read this far.
Eva’s Authors Den Page: https://tinyurl.com/yycm7d2w
Certainly, major relevance gleaned from the Pilgrim settlement at Plimoth Plantation was the realization that diverse cultures of a community could live in peace and harmony. This is a history lesson worth repeating today.
Then – October of 1621:
The Pilgrims celebrated the "First Thanksgiving" after their first harvest in the New World. The celebration entailed an outdoor feast lasting three days. In attendance—90 Native Americans and 53 Pilgrims.
*During the Mayflower voyage, a steady sea-diet high in salt weakened their bodies. Malnutrition, disease, and the harsh weather claimed as many as 2-3 colonists per day during their first two months on land, diminishing their original fold of 102 by half.
Now – November 26, 2020:
Due to the widespread surge in the COVID-19 pandemic, the CDC has urged Americans to celebrate Thanksgiving virtually, or to assemble in gatherings limited to members of the same household.
Similar to the Pilgrim voyage which gave rise to a Thanksgiving feast, this same holiday is considered the busiest travel juncture of the year in order for family and friends from afar to be together at the dinner table.
*Recent statistics cite that at least 250,000 people in the United States have died from the virus since the pandemic erupted less than a year ago, last February.
Like our Pilgrim forebears, families and friends will need to come to an agreement as to the logistics for giving thanks and counting our blessings.
More importantly, we need to pay the holiday forward by harvesting peace and harmony in our community as the Wampanoags and Pilgrims did during the First Thanksgiving.
*My sincere appreciation if you’ve read this far.
Eva’s Authors Den Page: https://tinyurl.com/yycm7d2w
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Pamela
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Nov 29, 2020 10:51AM
I bet you were a great teacher. I can see your classes being interesting and exciting. Happy Thanksgiving week. Cheers!
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Pamela wrote: "I bet you were a great teacher. I can see your classes being interesting and exciting. Happy Thanksgiving week. Cheers!"We sure got our hands dirty. We once had an on-going paleontological dig whereby the students would chisel bones from plaster castings (goggles on, of course). Then, they had to make predictions as to what animal the bone derived, and why they thought so.
Best wishes throughout the holiday season.
