A Factual Rebuttal to a Popular Thanksgiving Lesson Plan:
The Fourth World Documentation Project

The author of the "Fourth World Documentation Project" lesson plan on Thanksgiving, published all over the internet as well as distributed in printed form, claims to have a strong background in history.  But nearly every sentence of the entire lesson plan has a significant factual error, or is simply story-telling (making up stories and details to fit within a set framework of given historical facts).  

It is my purpose here to correct some of the more significant factual errors made throughout this lesson plan, which purports to be a "kind and gentle a balance of historic truth and positive inspiration", but which clearly fails in the "historic truth" department.  Please be aware that I am only pointing out the most blatant errors, there are many other errors which I have not bothered to comment upon.

I will simply go down the lesson plan, pointing out the errors as I go.  Quotes from the lesson plan will be in green.  My factual corrections are given in black.  The primary sources (and quotes from those sources) to back up my corrections are given in blue.  

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

First off, 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).

Second, 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.

It is frankly amazing that this lesson plan, written by a teacher and historian with Native American ancestry, and published by the Office of Multicultural and Equity Education, should call Weymouth a friendly explorer!  They of all people should know better.  Captain Weymouth is in fact one of the first kidnappers of Native Americans in England's history.

There is some debate as to whether or not Weymouth actually did capture Tisquantum, or whether he was captured for the first time in 1614 by Thomas Hunt.  But that historical debate is better saved for a different forum.

Squanto came back to New England with Captain Weymouth.

Squanto did not return to New England with Captain Weymouth.  Instead he was turned over to Sir Ferdinando Gorges of the Plymouth Company, who sent him to America on a New England mapping expedition led by Captain John Smith (of Pocahontas fame).  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: "But this Savage Tisquantum, being at the time in the Newfound land with Captain Mason, . . . Master Darmer who was there also, and sometimes before employed as we have said by us, together with Captain John Smith . . ."

The Generall Historie of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles, by Captain John Smith (London, 1624) states: "The main assistance next to God I had to this small number, was my acquaintance amongst the savages, especially with Tahanedo, one of their greatest lords, who had lived long in England (and another called Tantum [thought to be a shortend form of Tisquantum] carried with me from England, and set on shore at Cape Cod)."

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 Captain John Smith left behind to continue trading with the Indians after their mapping expedition in 1614.  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 relavent 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, Plymouth Colony Court Records.  Captain Hunt was so totally despised by the English for this act of treachery (he jeopardized English trading relations with the Indians), his sailing career 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 directly 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 Maliga, 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 again 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--a captain that had been on John Smith's mapping expedition--recognized Squanto and wrote a letter to Sir Ferdinando Gorges in 1618 saying he had found "his Indian", and requested to know what he should do with him. Gorges requested Dermer to bring Tisquantum to England and they would discuss their exploration 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.  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 taught the Pilgrims many 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. The Pilgrims dwellings were simply modeled on English peasant dwellings, but made with New World materials.  

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

This was their meetinghouse, and not specifically a church.  The Pilgrims never built a church, and opposed the Catholic idea that a church building was somehow a holy place.  The Pilgrims did hold Sunday services in the meetinghouse, but this building was also the center of secular, governmental and judicial activities as well (i.e. court trials, town meetings, etc.)

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" occured sometime in October, and was not a religious holiday or observance, but rather more like a fair or public festival.  Source: Of Plymouth Plantation, by William Bradford (written 1630-1654).

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.

Since Squanto already lived in the Plymouth Colony, there would have been no point in inviting him.  Samoset was no doubt long gone, returned to his tribe in southern Maine--there is no mention of Samoset in any Pilgrim writings after March 1621.  Massasoit was invited (although there is no evidence to suggest Standish was the one who made the invitation, that is just more fictional writing). Massasoit brought with him ninety "men".  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") and get fifty-five years of peace between the Pilgrims and Wampanoag!  

From the "How to Avoid Old Stereotypes" section:

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.  Samoset knew a lot more English than the Pilgrims knew of his Algonkian language.