Discovery of America

The Native Americans were the first people to live in America, though it still remains a mystery to when and how they got there. Although, on December 21st 1620 the Pilgrim Fathers arrived at Plymouth Rock, after their 2 month-long journey across the Atlantic Ocean, claiming the land as their own…

 The Pilgrim Fathers and the Story of Thanksgiving                                                                                  

The Pilgrim Fathers were a group of around one hundred Puritans who were unhappy that James I, their king wouldn’t let them have their own belief and religion. Around 1608, they set off on their voyage to Holland, where they thought that they could start a new life. They lived happily for twelve years, until they made plans to sail to America. They built two vessels called the Mayflower and the Speedwell and started sailing towards America. The Speedwell began to leak, so it had to be taken to Southampton to be fixed, although it was beyond repair. All of the passengers on the Speedwell had to be crammed into the Mayflower, that took them to America. They arrived at Plymouth Rock in November 1620, so everything was grey and cold. They were very disappointed to find that no flowers or plants were growing there; together, they started to explore the land to find somewhere to live.

It was an awful first winter, and they had to find shelter. They had no help at all, which meant that they could hardly survive – they all fell ill and were absolutely freezing in the harsh winds and weather. Half of the people died that winter. Then came Spring. There were flowers and trees, and the grass was breaking through the snow. They met some friendly Native Americans, who taught them how to grow crops and learn how to care for themselves. The Native Americans helped them to build their Houses and Churches, and after a while, they all became good friends. To thank their new friends, they had a Thanksgiving party, that lasted for days!

After that, the Pilgrim Fathers betrayed the Native Americans, and tried to push them out of their houses and land.