THANKSGIVING

On September 16th, 1620 , 35 British people left Plymouth, England . They crossed the Atlantic ocean on a ship , called

the Mayflower.

On November 21st, 1620 , the British pilgrims landed in America . They discovered a rock so they called the place Plymouth Rock and the region , New England … but there

were Indians ( Native Americans)

They cut trees and built a wooden fort with small houses.They became settlers. But it was in Autumn and it was

windy and cold .

But soon came Winter : it was snowing and freezing . There was no food and many settlers died !

In Spring 1621, an Indian, Squanto, helped the settlers : he gave them some seeds to plant .

In Autumn, there was a huge harvest . The settlers had many things to eat:pumpkins, corn, sweet potatoes,

cranberries ...

To celebrate this successful harvest, they decided to have a big feast to thank God . They invited the Indians to

share their dinner. It was the first Thanksgiving ( «  The First Thanksgiving, 1621 », painted by Jean Ferris in

1863.

Today Thanksgiving is celebrated in the USA on the fourth Thursday of November. There are parades in the streets ,

like the Macy's Parade in New york . People have a traditional dinner with family and friends.

« Freedom from want » , a painting by Norman Rockwell ( 1943). It's realistic. It represents a traditional American family with the grandparents, the parents and the children.