The First Thanksgiving Trivia Quiz

Answer: True

The Christian people who came to America had a long tradition of giving thanks to God for their blessings. In fact, the first documented occasion in what the Europeans called the New World originated with the French and Spanish, who both explored the area in the 1500s! There is also evidence that such a day was set aside after the founding of the first successful English colony in America - Jamestown - which was founded in 1607.

Answer: Pilgrims

Unhappy with the politics, as well as the organization of the Church of England, the Pilgrims, also called Separatists, immigrated to Holland in 1607. After living there, however, the congregation began to experience hardships; they were having problems supporting themselves, and some of the younger members of the group were leaving.

It was decided to migrate to America; the group left Holland in 1620, and also picked up more passengers in England. They landed at Cape Cod on November 9, 1620, before moving to Plymouth, and experienced a miserable winter, with about half of the members of the group dying.

Answer: William Bradford

William Bradford became governor of Plymouth Colony after the death of John Carver, shortly after the group arrived in Massachusetts. He was one of the signers of the Mayflower Compact, which was the first democratic government established in the colonies. His legacy to us today is his "Of Plymouth Plantation", which is a detailed journal of life in Plymouth Colony. The groups is called "Pilgrims" today due to one of his entries, which referred to the people as "saints" and "pilgrimes". In addition, he was the one who called for the first Thanksgiving celebration!

The other choices made their mark on other colonies: John Smith was important in the founding of Virginia, Lord Baltimore received a charter to establish Maryland, and James Oglethorpe established Georgia as a debtor's colony.

Answer: A good harvest

After a miserable first winter, it is easy to understand why the Pilgrims would want to thank God for a good harvest. According to Edwin Winslow, who was present at the first Thanksgiving, Governor Bradford set aside three days for celebration: "Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors.

They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week".

Answer: Squanto

One day the Pilgrims were amazed to see Squanto walking into their camp - especially when he spoke English! He was the last member of the Patuxet tribe, who was living with the Wampanoags; taken captive by the English, he had been to London six times, traveling back and forth with colonists.

After such a devastating first winter, Squanto showed the colonists how to plant corn using fish to fertilize the land like the other tribes in the area did. The fact that he spoke English also facilitated communication between the groups.

Answer: No

There are no existing records that reveal what type of "fowl" was eaten at the first Thanksgiving meal; it was written that the governor sent four men on a "fowling mission". While there were wild turkeys living in the area of Plymouth colony, the men could have brought back swan, geese, and ducks. We do know that there was enough food to last for three days! Believe it or not, it is also possible that seafood, such as mussels, was an important part of the meal.

Answer: Venison

According to Edwin Winslow, Chief Massasoit brought five deer to add to the feast. Records show that 90 Wampanoags and 53 Pilgrims attended the three day feast. When Massasoit heard the gunfire from the hunters, he feared it was an attack on his people. After discovering there was no danger of attack, he sent some of his men to hunt, and the people joined together.

It must be noted here that the friendship of Massasoit was vitally important to the Pilgrims in their early years. He was an unfailing ally, even warning them when other tribes were planning an attack.

Answer: It was made into cornmeal, and served as a mush.

According to sources, the first harvest of corn was especially plentiful. Cornmeal mush might not sound very appetizing; however, it was sometimes sweetened with molasses - surely that helped! In addition to corn, there was also a wide variety of other vegetables, including spinach, onions, carrots, and lettuce.

Answer: No

While it is known that squash and pumpkin grew wild in the Plymouth colony area - and was gathered by the Native Americans and the Pilgrims - there would not have been any pie making! After reading sources about the food available to the Pilgrims, it has been determined that they would not have had the wheat flour and butter necessary to make the pies we enjoy today.

It is likely, however, that pumpkins were hollowed out, filled with milk, honey, and available spices, and then roasted to make a kind of custard. Yummy!

Answer: Abraham Lincoln

In the midst of the Civil War in 1863, President Lincoln needed something that would help tie the country together. He proclaimed a national day of Thanksgiving, to be celebrated on the last Thursday in November. "I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens". Thanksgiving has been observed as a national holiday ever since, however, the celebration was changed to the fourth Thursday in November by FDR in 1941.