Also Try
- Colonial America
- Native Americans
- Recipes
Lists
- Thanksgiving Links for Families
Materials
- -Thanksgiving Cards (123 Greetings)
 Send a free postcard for Thanksgiving.
- Thanksgiving Clip Art (ClipsAhoy.com)
- Thanksgiving Clipart (awesomeclipartforkids.com)
Provides free clipart for teachers, students, and parents. 11-00
Papers
- -History of Thanksgiving Holiday - An Introduction for Teachers (Not Just for Kids! - Larsen)
"Obviously there is a lot more to the story of Indian/Puritan relations in New England than in the thanksgiving stories we heard as children. Our contemporary mix of myth and history about the 'First' Thanksgiving at Plymouth developed in the 1890s and early 1900s. Our country was desperately trying to pull together its many diverse peoples into a common national identity. To many writers and educators at the end of the last century and the beginning of this one, this also meant having a common national history. This was the era of the 'melting pot' theory of social progress, and public education was a major tool for social unity. It was with this in mind that the federal government declared the last Thursday in November as the legal holiday of Thanksgiving in 1898."
"In consequence, what started as an inspirational bit of New England folklore, soon grew into the full-fledged American Thanksgiving we now know. It emerged complete with stereotyped Indians and stereotyped Whites, incomplete history, and a mythical significance as our 'First Thanksgiving.' " 11-03
- -History of Thanksgiving Holiday - Without the Myths (Center for World Indigenous Studies and Not Just for Kids! - Ross, Robertson, Larsen, and Fernandes)
"By the time fall arrived things were going much better for the Pilgrims, thanks to the help they had received [from the Indians]."
"For three days the Wampanoags feasted with the Pilgrims. It was a special time of friendship between two very different groups of people. A peace and friendship agreement was made between Massasoit and Miles Standish giving the Pilgrims the clearing in the forest where the old Patuxet village once stood to build their new town of Plymouth. "
"It would be very good to say that this friendship lasted a long time, but, unfortunately, that was not to be."
A Wampanoag tribe member said this to mark the anniversary of the Pilgrim's arrival: " 'Today is a time of celebrating for you -- a time of looking back to the first days of white people in America. But it is not a time of celebrating for me. It is with a heavy heart that I look back upon what happened to my People.' " 11-03
- A Meal Without Forks (HistoryChannel.com)
Describes how meals were really eaten in 1621. 11-03
- Energy Saving Tips for the Thanksgiving Holidays (PR Newswire Associates)
Provides tips for saving energy during the Thanksgiving holidays. 11-02
- Foods Available in 1621 - Not What You May Think (HistoryChannel.com)
Pilgrims may have eaten wild turkey - or seal - but they could not have had pumpkin pie or cranberry sauce. 11-03
- History of Thanksgiving Holiday (Smithsonian Institution)
Provides a history of events leading to a national holiday of Thanksgiving. 11-03
- Mayflower Myths (HistoryChannel.com)
"The first feast wasn't repeated, so it wasn't the beginning of a tradition. In fact, the colonists didn't even call the day Thanksgiving." 11-03
- Pilgrim Interviews (HistoryChannel.com)
Provides interviews with actors portraying Myles Standish and Ellinor Billington. 11-03
- Squanto (Griffin)
Provides the story of Squanto, the Native American who saved the lives of the early Pilgrims. 11-99
- Squanto (Johnson)
Provides a not very appealing history of Squanto (Tisquantum), an Indian credited with saving the lives of early settlers at Plymouth Colony. "Tisquantum [Squanto] did not help the Pilgrims solely because he was a nice and caring individual. By late 1621 he was using his position with the Pilgrims for his own gain--threatening many Indians that if they did not do as he told them, he would have the Pilgrims 'release the plague' against them." 11-03
- Thanksgiving - The First Thanksgiving (Media3, Technologies) 2-01
- Thanksgiving - The Pilgrims
- Thanksgiving - When and How Did Your Ancestors Come to America?
- Thanksgiving History (Petro)
Provides the religious and secular history.
- Wampanoag Indians - Before and After the Pilgrims (BostonKids.org)
Provides statements from tribal members regarding their own history. Members of the Wampanoag tribe welcomed the Mayflower passengers to what became known as Plymouth Colony. 11-03
- Wampanoag Indians History (Sultzman)
Provides facts and historical information on the Wampanoag, including a description of a conflict known as "King Philip's War." 11-03
Projects
- Thanksgiving (Donn)
Provides a variety of activities, lessons and resources for Thanksgiving.
- Thanksgiving Activities
- Thanksgiving Recipes (Not Just for Kids!)
Provides a variety of recipes. 11-03
Worksheets
- Thanksgiving Worksheets (AbcTeach)
Provides dozens of worksheets to help children have a better understanding of the holiday. 8-01
- Thanksgiving Worksheets (EdHelper.com)
Provides worksheets, puzzles, and word searches related to Halloween. 10-01
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