The “First Thanksgiving”
How Can We Tell a Better Story?
This inquiry resource provides evidence to help teachers and students dispel the myth of the “First Thanksgiving.”
Scroll to examine historical details, circumstances, choices, and events that include Wampanoag perspectives, which have been largely absent from this national story.
Staging the Question
What’s the Story with National Stories?
Watch this video and consider how national stories shape your understanding of history.
Supporting Question One
How Has the Story Been Told and Why Does It Need to Change?
Think about different sources that tell the “First Thanksgiving” story.
Supporting Question Two
What Do We Need to Know about Where the Story Takes Place?
Learn key details about the Wampanoag nation and their homelands before English settlers arrived.
Supporting Question Three
What Do We Need to Know about the Key Players and the Challenges They Faced?
Examine illustrations and primary sources to learn about key players from Wampanoag and English communities in the early 1600s.
Supporting Question Four
What Else Is Missing from the Story?
Learn how historical actions and events challenged a peace agreement between the Wampanoag and the English.
Summative Task
How Can You Tell a Better Story?
Build an evidence-based claim for telling a better story about the “First Thanksgiving.”
Contemporary Connection & Informed Action
Wampanoag Harvest Ceremonies
Learn the significance of Cranberry Day for the Aquinnah Wampanoag and the importance of harvest traditions among Wampanoag communities today.
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