Debunking a Popular Internet Lesson Plan

It is unfortunate that much of the historical information provided to our schoolchildren was written by individuals with little or no training in historical research; much of these writings display downright incompetence. One example is the "Teaching about Thanksgiving" lesson plan, widely available on the Internet, put out by the Fourth World Documentation Project in Olympia, Washington, and apparently written by educators from various Washington State school districts. Because of its wide availability, and its disregard for historical accuracy, I have dedicated this entire page to correcting its more significant historical flubs. I will provide primary source documentation to my factual rebuttals where appropriate, should any serious teachers or historians care to verify the facts.

Chuck Larson (Tacoma School District) introduces the lesson plan. Item #3 in his list of "provocative" items is this statement:

LESSON PLAN SAYS: "This is best illustrated in the written text of the Thanksgiving sermon delivered at Plymouth in 1623 by "Mather the Elder." In it, Mather the Elder gave special thanks to God for the devastating plague of smallpox which wiped out the majority of the Wampanoag Indians who had been their benefactors. He praised God for destroying "chiefly young men and children, the very seeds of increase, thus clearing the forests to make way for a better growth", i.e., the Pilgrims."

FACT: This is completely false. There was never anybody called "Mather the Elder" in early Plymouth. The Mathers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (Puritan ministers Cotton Mather and Increase Mather) had not even been born in 1623. There are no surviving sermons from 1623 Plymouth. The quote provided does not come from any sermon. The first part of the quote, "chiefly young men and children the very seeds of increase" comes from Edward Johnson's book Wonder Working Providence published in London in 1651, the full quote being: "Their Disease being a sore Consumption, sweeping away whole Families, but chiefly young Men and Children, the very seeds of increase." Merely a description of what had happened to the Indians, not a praising of their deaths. Interestingly, "consumption" means tuberculosis, not smallpox. The second half of the quote, "thus clearing the forests to make way for a better growth" is completely fabricated and does not exist in any primary source documents or literature from the period: sounds to me like it was written by someone familiar with 20th century forest management policies.

Dr. Bill McCleary from the Highline School District comes next in the lesson plan, with his introduction, where he proclaims "As educators, we continually strive to improve the clarity and accuracy of what is taught about the history of our country." As we will see shortly, this lesson plan needs some work in the "accuracy" department.

Now on to the main lesson plan, entitled "The Plymouth Thanksgiving Story", apparently written by Cathy Ross, Mary Robertson and Roger Fernandes of the Highline School District. Lesson plan quotes are in green; my rebuttal is in black, the primary source documentation that can be used to verify my rebuttal is in blue.

"In 1605, fifteen years before the Pilgrims came, Squanto went to England with a friendly English explorer named John Weymouth."

The name of the explorer was George Weymouth, not John Weymouth. Source: A True Relation of the Most Prosperous Voyage Made this Present Year 1605 by Captain George Weymouth, by James Rosier (London, 1605).

Captain George Weymouth was far from friendly, and he brutally kidnapped five Indians from the New England coastline.

Source: A True Relation of the Most Prosperous Voyage Made this Present Year 1605 by Captain George Weymouth, by James Rosier (London, 1605) states: "we used little delay, but suddenly laid hands upon them. And it was as much as five or six of us could do to get them . . . for they were strong and so naked as our best hold was by their long hair on their heads."

Source: A Brief Relation of the Discovery and Plantation of New England, by Sir Ferdinando Gorges (London, 1658) states: "But falling short of his [Weymouth's] course, happened into a river on the coast of America called Pemmaquid, from whence he brought five of the Natives, three of whose names were Manida, Skettwarroes, and Tisquantum.

Captain Weymouth is in fact one of the first kidnappers of Native Americans in England's history. Historians debate whether or not Tisquantum actually was kidnapped by Weymouth at all. All relevant primary sources state he was captured by Thomas Hunt in 1614. Only one source, Sir Ferdinando Gorges in 1658 (see quote above), says he was captured by Weymouth. Rosieres, who wrote the account of the Weymouth voyage in 1605, named the five Indians that were kidnapped, and did not mention Tisquantum. And, in fact, Sir Ferdinando Gorges writing in 1622 also stated Tisquantum was taken by Captain Hunt. It is probable that Tisquantum was not captured by Weymouth at all, and Gorges simply misstated the names of the Indians in his 1658 book written more than 50 years after-the-fact.

Later Squanto was captured by a British slaver who raided the village . . .

No British "slaver" ever raided the village of Squanto to kidnap Indians. Squanto was kidnapped by Captain Thomas Hunt, an associate that Captain John Smith had left behind to continue trading with the Indians after their mapping expedition in 1614. Captain Hunt betrayed John Smith, and kidnapped 27 Indians who had been lured aboard his ship to trade beaver skins (some contemporary sources say 24 were kidnapped, others say 27, but the exact number is not relevant to this discussion). The Generall Historie of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles, by Captain John Smith (London, 1624). Deposition of Phineas Pratt (1662) in the Records of the General Court of Massachusetts. Captain Hunt was so totally despised by the English for this act of treachery (he jeopardized English trading relations with the Indians), that his career as a ship captain was over.

. . . and sold Squanto to the Spanish in the Caribbean Islands.

Squanto was not sold to the Spanish in the Caribbean Islands. He and the other kidnapped Indians were taken to Malaga, Spain and sold there.

Deposition of Phineas Pratt, 1662, Plymouth Colony Court Records states: ". . . for an Indian called Tisquantum came to them and spoke English . . . He said that an Englishman called Capt. Hunt came into the harbor pretending trade for beaver and stole 24 men and their beaver and carried and sold them in Spain."

A Brief Narration of the Originall Undertakings of the Advancement of Plantations Into the Parts of America, by Sir Ferdinando Gorges, London 1658 states: " . . . there was one of my Savages [Tisquantum] sent into those parts brought from Malaga [Spain] in a ship of Bristol . . ."

Of Plymouth Plantation, by William Bradford, written 1630-1654 states: "He was carried away with divers others by one Hunt, a master of a ship, who thought to sell them for slaves in Spain."

The General History of New England, by Captain John Smith (London, 1624) states: "But one Thomas Hunt the Master of this ship (when I was gone) thinking to prevent that intent I had to make there a Plantation . . . betrayed four and twenty of those poor salvages aboard his ship: and most dishonestly, and inhumanely, for their kind usage of me and all our men, carried them with him to Malaga, and there for a little private gain sold those silly salvages for rials of eight; but this wild act kept him ever after from any more employment in those parts."

Squanto then found Captain Weymouth, who paid his way back to his homeland.

There is no evidence that Squanto ever met up with Captain Weymouth. Squanto boarded an English ship from Bristol that happened to be in Malaga, Spain, and it took him to Newfoundland. Thomas Dermer wrote a letter to Sir Ferdinando Gorges in 1618 pointing out the usefulness of having an Indian guide on an exploring expedition to New England, and requested to know what he should do with him. Gorges requested Dermer to bring Tisquantum to England and they would discuss their options. Source: A Brief Narration of the Originall Undertakings of the Advancement of Plantations into the parts of America, by Sir Ferdinando Gorges (London, 1658) states: "About this time I received letters from Captain Dermer out of Newfoundland, giving me to understand that there was one of my Savages sent into those parts brought from Malaga in a ship of Bristol, acquainting me with the means which I might recover him".

While in England, Squanto lived for a time with John Slainey, treasurer of the Newfoundland Company, and associate of Sir Ferdinando Gorges. Source: Mourt's Relation: A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, by William Bradford and Edward Winslow (London, 1622) states: "Squanto, the only native of Patuxet, where we now inhabit, who was one of the twenty captives that by Hunt were carried away, and had been in England, and dwelt in Cornhill with Master John Slainie, a merchant, . . . "

Gorges decided to send the two on an exploring mission to New England, where Dermer was to release Squanto to his homeland at the conclusion. Source: Letter from Thomas Dermer to Samuel Purchas, published in Purchas His Pilgrimmes, by Samuel Purchas (London, 1625). A Brief Relation of the Discovery and Plantation of New England, by Sir Ferdinando Gorges (London, 1622).

In England Squanto met Samoset of the Wabanake (Wab NAH key) Tribe, who had also left his native home with an English explorer.

There is no evidence that Samoset was ever in England. William Bradford specifically states on two separate occasions that Samoset learned his English from fishermen who came each year to fish off the coast of Maine, where Samoset lived.

Source: Of Plymouth Plantation, by William Bradford (written 1630-1654) states: "he [Samoset] was not of these parts, but belonged to the eastern parts where some English ships came to fish, with whom he was acquainted and could name sundry of them by their names, amongst whom he had got his language."

Mourt's Relation: A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, by William Bradford and Edward Winslow (London, 1622) states: "He [Samoset] saluted us in England and bade us welcome, for he had learned some broken English among the Englishmen that came to fish at Monchiggon [Monhegan Island, Maine], . . . He said he was not of these parts, but of Morattiggon, and one of the sagamores or lords thereof, and had been eight months in these parts, it lying hence a day's sail with great wind, and five days by land."

They both returned together in 1620.

Squanto and Captain Dermer did not return in 1620, they returned in 1618. Sources: Letter of Thomas Dermer to William Bradford, republished in Of Plymouth Plantation, by William Bradford (written 1630-1654). Letter of Thomas Dermer to Samuel Purchas, republished in Purchas his Pilgrims, by Samuel Purchas, book IV, page 1778.

One year later, in the spring, Squanto and Samoset were hunting along the beach near Patuxet. They were startled to see people from England in their deserted village. For several days, they stayed nearby observing the newcomers. Finally they decided to approach them. Samoset walked into the village and said "welcome," Squanto soon joined him. The Pilgrims were very surprised to meet two Indians who spoke English.

When Samoset first met the Pilgrims on March 16, he was alone. Squanto was not introduced to the Pilgrims until a full week later on March 22. They would not have been startled: the Wampanoag had known the Pilgrims had been exploring Cape Cod in November and December, and had been at Plymouth for going on four months now: it would be pretty darn hard to miss the Mayflower parked out in Plymouth Harbor, not to mention the Pilgrims cooking and house fires that would have been visible for miles. The above paragraph is a complete work of fiction.

Source: Of Plymouth Plantation, by William Bradford (written 1630-1654) states: "But about the 16th of March, a certain Indian came boldy amongst them and spoke to them in broken English, which they would well understand but marveled at it . . . his name was Samoset. He told them also of another Indian named Squanto, a native of this place, who had been in England and could speak better English than himself."

Mourt's Relation: A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth (London, 1622) states: "Friday, the 16th . . . He very boldly came all alone and along the houses straight to the rendezvous, where we intercepted him . . . Thursday, the 22nd of March, was a very fair warm day. About noon we met again about our public business, but we had scarce been an hour together, but Samoset came again, and Squanto, the only native of Patuxet, where we now inhabit, . . ."

He taught them how to . . . build Indian-style houses. . . . They were living comfortably in their Indian-style wigwams . . .

While Squanto no doubt showed the Pilgrims many useful things, housing was certainly not one of them. The Pilgrims were constructing their personal dwellings long before they met Samoset and Squanto in late March 1621.

. . . and had also managed to build one European-style building out of squared logs. This was their church.

More correctly, they built a meetinghouse, not specifically a church, although they did hold Sunday services there. The Pilgrims opposed the Catholic idea that a church building was somehow a holy place, and used the meetinghouse for many other purposes. The meetinghouse was not the only building they managed to construct. They had storehouses and were working on living quarters as well.

The Pilgrims decided to have a thanksgiving feast to celebrate their good fortune. They had observed thanksgiving feasts in November as religious obligations in England for many years before coming to the New World.

The "thanksgiving feasts" in England generally occurred on September 29, not in November; and the Pilgrims would not have observed them because they were Catholic holidays. The Pilgrims did not observe religious holidays in England, and that is one of the reasons they fled to Holland in the first place--the English were trying to force holidays and ceremonies on the Pilgrims who opposed them. Source: The Works of John Robinson [the Pilgrim's pastor]. The Pilgrims did not even celebrate Christmas or Easter. The Pilgrims "First Thanksgiving" most likely occurred sometime in October, and was not a religious holiday or observance, but rather a harvest festival that included feasts, sporting events, and other activities.

Captain Miles Standish, the leader of the Pilgrims, invited Squanto, Samoset, Massasoit (the leader of the Wampanoags), and their immediate families to join them for a celebration, but they had no idea how big Indian families could be.

This is fictional story-telling again, with no historical basis. Samoset almost certainly had returned to Maine. There is no historical record of Myles Standish being the one who did the inviting. Source: Mourt's Relation: A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth (London, 1622), in a letter written by Edward Winslow: "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 fruits of our labors . . . many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought to the plantation and bestowed on our governor, and upon the captain [Myles Standish] and others."

The relationship deteriorated and within a few years the children of the people who ate together at the first Thanksgiving were killing one another in what came to be called King Phillip's War.

"A few years" is quite an understatement when you subtract 1676 (King Philip's War) from 1621 ("first Thanksgiving"): that's 55 years, not "a few years".

In the "Avoiding Old Stereotypes" section of the lesson plan:
Squanto and Samoset spoke excellent English.

Politically correct is not always factually correct. Samoset spoke broken English. Source: Mourt's Relation: A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth (London, 1622) states: "He [Samoset] salauted us in English, and bade us welcome, for he had learned some broken English among the Englishmen that came to fish at Monchiggon."

The "old stereotype" here should be that speaking broken English shows a lack of intelligence. This is, of course, not true. Speaking broken English is simply a sign that Samoset had not been around English long enough to learn the language fully. Samoset, after all, knew a lot more English than the Pilgrims knew of his Algonquian language.