The Truth About Thanksgiving

As home schoolers, we are privy to information that most kids are never told in traditional school. The curriculum that we receive from Oak Meadow included a book called "...If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620" by Ann McGovern. It is published by Scholastic and readily available in any major bookstore. Tennessee and I discovered some very interesting facts that are usually ommitted and/or distorted by most traditional teachers and/or learning institutions.

DID YOU KNOW:

1. The Pilgrims had TWO ships. The Speedwell and the Mayflower.
2. The Speedwell started leaking so they had to take it back to England and pile onto the Mayflower.
3. The Pilgrims didn't have any money to buy the Mayflower so they made a deal with an English businessman to work for him for seven years to pay it off. When they got to the New World, everything they worked for was sent to him for seven years.
4. There were 102 people on the Mayflower. Only 35 of the 102 people on board the Mayflower did so for Religious reasons. These were the Pilgrims. The remainder of the 102 passengers sailed to the New World to find work and/or for adventure.
5. The Mayflower began its journey on September 6th 1620 and arrived on November 9th, 1620. It took them 66 days to get to the New World.
6. The Pilgrims did not celebrate Christmas.
7. The first Native American that the Pilgrims met spoke English. His name was Samoset.
8. Samoset brought Sqanto to meet the Pilgrims and he stayed with them for the rest of his life. They were best friends.
9. Squanto showed them how to farm the land, hunt and use herbs. He saved their life and thier village from destruction. He also orchestrated the first Peace Treaty.
10. Pilgrims did not always dress in black clothes. They only did that on Sundays. Little boys wore long dresses until they were 6 years old.
11. The first Thanksgiving lasted for 3 days. It was in the middle of October of 1621.

Here is a link to "...If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620"

http://www.amazon.com/If-You-Sailed-Mayflower-1620/dp/0590451618