History of Thanksgiving Mini-Book Page 3 A New World and a New Start One spring day, a Native American named Squanto came to the Pilgrims and welcomed them. Squanto had lived in England and knew how to speak English. Squanto taught the Pilgrims how to hunt, fish, gather berries, and plant corn. After that, the Native Americans and the Pilgrims became friends. The Pilgrims worked hard all summer planting crops, building houses, fishing, and following the Native Americans’ ways. By fall, their crops were ready to be harvested. The Pilgrims were thankful for their new homes, food, and friends. They decided to have a big celebration. More than 90 Native Americans and 50 Pilgrims sat down together for the feast. They ate turkey, fish, pumpkins, cornbread, berries, deer meat, goose, onions, and corn. Afterwards, they sang, danced, and played games. As the years went by, the village grew bigger and bigger and so did the harvest celebration. A new tradition had begun, How did Squanto help the Pilgrims?History of Thanksgiving Mini-Book Page 4 Give Thanks for Thanksgiving! In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving Day a national holiday Today, on the fourth Thursday of November we gather with family and friends to have a feast of our own. Our celebration is a lot like the first Thanksgiving held more than 400 years ago. On Thanksgiving Day, we give thanks, spend time with family and friends, and eat a feast. We celebrate with harvest foods like corn, squash, cranberries, and potatoes. It's a tradition to roast a turkey filled with bread stuffing. For dessert, there is usually a variety of pies including pumpkin, apple, sweet potato, and pecan. Thank you to the Pilgrims and Native Americans for starting this new tradition which is known today as Thanksgiving. What is your favorite part of Thanksgiving?