Thanksgiving in America
(Norman Rockwell, 1943)
When most people think of Thanksgiving, I would bet quite a bit of money, images like this one come to their minds.
(Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, 1899)
Although this idea of Pilgrims and Native Americans coming together and sharing a meal is very nice, unfortunately it is not true.
Personal recordings from when the Pilgrims first arrived to the New World (United States) tell us that soon after arriving there, many fell ill and died from disease, hunger, and lack of proper housing.
These records have also shown us that although the Pilgrims were able to supply some of the food for the meal, the number of Native Americans outnumbered the Pilgrims by a ratio of about 2 to 1.
Because of the high number of Native Americans, it is clear that the majority of food was provided by the Native Americans and greatly helped the Pilgrims, who where suffering from hunger.
Although Thanksgiving is the day when many people gather together with their families and watch TV while eat a lot of food. Let's not forget it's original meaning, that of being thankful for the charity and humanity of other people. (Mike)
