English Conversation, Week 13, Year 2

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American Holidays and Traditions - Thanksgiving, 24 of November

A. Native Americans
Long before settlers came to the East Coast of the United States, the area was populated by many Native American
tribes. The area around the site of the first Thanksgiving, now known as southeastern Massachusetts and eastern Rhode
Island had been the home of the Wampanoag people for over 12,000 years, and had been visited by other European
settlers before the arrival of the Mayflower. The native people knew the land well and had fished, hunted, and farmed for
thousands of generations.

The Settlers
The people who comprised the Plymouth Colony were a group of English Protestants who wanted to break away from
the Church of England. These ‘separatists’ first moved to Holland and after 12 years of financial problems, they got
money from English traders to sail across the Atlantic to settle in a ‘New World.' A ship carrying 101 men, women, and
children spent 66 days traveling the Atlantic Ocean, intending to land where New York City is now located. Due to the
windy conditions, the group had to cut their trip short and settle at what is now called Cape Cod.

Settling and Exploring

As the Puritans prepared for winter, they gathered anything they could find, including Wampanoag supplies. One day,
Samoset, a leader of the Abenaki, and Tisquantum (better known as Squanto) visited the settlers. Squanto was a
Wampanoag who had experience with other settlers and knew English. Squanto helped the settlers grow corn and use
fish to fertilize their fields. After several meetings, a formal agreement was made between the settlers and the native
people and they joined together to protect each other from other tribes in March of 1621.

The Celebration
One day that fall, four settlers were sent to hunt for food for a harvest celebration. The Wampanoag heard gunshots
and alerted their leader, Massasoit, who thought the English might be preparing for war. Massasoit visited the English
settlement with 90 of his men to see if the war rumor was true. Soon after their visit, the Native Americans realized
that the English were only hunting for the harvest celebration. Massasoit sent some of his own men to hunt deer for the
feast and for three days, the English and native men, women, and children ate together. The meal consisted of deer,
corn, shellfish, and roasted meat, different to today's traditional Thanksgiving feast. Although prayers and thanks were
probably offered at the 1621 harvest gathering, the first recorded religious Thanksgiving Day in Plymouth happened two
years later in 1623. On this occasion, the colonists gave thanks to God for rain after a two-month drought.

The Myths
Believe it or not, the settlers didn't have silver buckles on their shoes. Nor did they wear black clothing. Their attire was
actually bright and happy. Many pictures of this harvest celebration also show the Native Americans wearing blankets on
their shoulders and large, feathered headdresses, which is not true. The Englishmen didn’t even call themselves Pilgrims.
They played ball games, sang, and danced. Much of what most modern Americans eat on Thanksgiving was not available
in 1621.
 English Conversation, Week 13, Year 2
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American Holidays and Traditions - Thanksgiving, 24 of November

Native Americans and Thanksgiving

The peace between the Native Americans and settlers lasted for only a generation. The Wampanoag people do not
share in the popular respect for the traditional New England Thanksgiving. For them, the holiday is a reminder of
betrayal and bloodshed. Since 1970, many native people have gathered at the statue of Massasoit in Plymouth,
Massachusetts each Thanksgiving Day to remember their ancestors and the strength of the Wampanoag.
B. Thanksgiving: Celebrating all that we have, and the genocide it took to get it.

Thanksgiving is one of the most backwards times of the year. We gather together with friends and family in celebration
of all that we are thankful for and express our gratitude, at the same time we are to to eat loads. But the irony really
starts the next day on Black Friday. On Thursday we appreciate all the simple things in life, such as having a meal, a roof
over our head, and the connection with those close to us. But in less than 24 hours, we literally walk over others in a
rush to get as many material belongings as possible at bargain-prices.

So what is the true history of Thanksgiving? Well, just like we have stories of Easter in which a magical bunny hops
around the world and hides baskets of goodies for us to find, or stories of Christmas where Santa Claus travels the
globe in one night to leave presents under the tree for good boys and girls – Thanksgiving, too, has its traditional myth
which we share with our children. We tell stories of the Indians and Pilgrims getting together for a magical feast of
brotherly love and appreciation. The only problem is that, unlike the other holidays, we never reveal the truth about
Thanksgiving to our children as they grow older. In fact, most of us don’t understand its bloody history ourselves…

The first actual official “Day of Thanksgiving” came in 1637 in a meeting between the Pequot Indians and English religious
people. The Pequot were celebrating their annual Green Harvest Festival, which is like modern-day Thanksgiving. On the
eve of the festival, the English demanded that everyone comes out of their homes, puts their weapons on the ground,
and surrenders by converting to Christianity.

Those who agreed with these horrible demands were either shot dead or hit to death. Those who stayed inside their
longhouses – including women and children – were burnt to death. In all, more than 700 Pequot men, women, and
children were slaughtered that day.

The “victory” was celebrated by the Governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony holding a feast and celebrated this as a
“Day of Thanksgiving.” During the celebration, they cut off heads of Natives and put them on display publicly; including
chopping of the head of the Wampanoag Chief and putting his head on a pole in Plymouth which stayed on display for
the next 24 years.
 English Conversation, Week 13, Year 2
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American Holidays and Traditions - Thanksgiving, 24 of November

Text A is from National Geographic Kids.

“Nat Geo Kids inspires young adventurers to explore the world through award-winning magazines, books, apps, games,
toys, videos, events, and a website, and is the only kids brand with a world-class scientific organization at its core.”
Text B is from Waking Times
“an independently owned and operated online magazine that seizes on the power of information to change personal
opinion and guide humanity’s evolution”...“We have many independent writers from around the globe and several close
relationships with other top alternative news sites.”

What are the differences between article A and B?

Which news source do you trust more?
Which article do you believe more to be correct?
What is your story of thanksgiving, for example, if someone asks what is the story of thanksgiving to you?
Why do children have different stories about holidays? e.g. Santa.
Which story would you want to hear as a happy child on thanksgiving morning?

Vocabulary, Idioms and Expressions

1. to be grateful - to be thankful
2. to appreciate - to be thankful, to be grateful
4. to show your gratitude - to show someone that you are grateful
5. thank goodness - an expression used to express relief
6. thank heavens - same as thank goodness
7. thanks a million - thank you very much, thanks a lot
8. You can thank your lucky stars - you are very lucky
9. to count your blessings - to be very thankful for what you have
10. to feel or be stuffed - to feel very full from eating a lot
11. to go or quit something cold turkey - to quit to habit all at once, not gradually
12. to talk turkey or to talk frankly - to discuss a deal very seriously

Choose one of the above words or expressions to complete the sentences.

 English Conversation, Week 13, Year 2
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American Holidays and Traditions - Thanksgiving, 24 of November

1. If the owner of the business really wants to sell, he will ____________________________.

2. I am very ____________________________to you for all your help.

3. Last night I threw a full pack of cigarettes in the garbage (bin). I decided to_______________________________.

4. You can _____________________________ that a doctor was close by when you had your heart attack. you

Almost died.

5. Thanksgiving is a day for all of us to ____________________________________.

6. _______________________________________ for everything you have done for me!

7. _____________________________ you arrived safely! We were very worried about you.

8. I can not eat another thing! I feel ____________________________.

Directions: Circulate around the classroom asking your classmates questions. Ask follow up
questions, such as WHY, WHEN, WHERE, WHAT. Try to find someone.....
1. who is planning to have a turkey dinner this Thanksgiving______________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
2. who likes pumpkin pie___________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
3. who has tried cranberry sauce before________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
4. who has quit something cold turkey ________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
5. who can thank his / her lucky stars for something_____________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
6. who celebrated a harvest or thanksgiving festival in his / her country. _____________________
________________________________________________________________________________
7. who would rather eat turkey than beef. ______________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
8. who felt very stuffed recently._____________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
 English Conversation, Week 13, Year 2
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American Holidays and Traditions - Thanksgiving, 24 of November

9. who counts his / her blessings. ____________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________
10. who couldn’t care less about an American thanksgiving holiday._________________________
________________________________________________________________________________