American Potluck
Thanksgiving did not begin with the Pilgrims who settled along the northeast coast of North America in 1620. Back in England, where they came from, a thanksgiving harvest feast in November was a long-held tradition.
Nor was the idea of a thanksgiving feast new to the native Algonquin Indians who helped the struggling Pilgrim settlers adjust to the food sources of their new home. The Algonquins held at least five major thanksgiving festivals a year, beginning with a Maple Dance in late winter to celebrate when the sap began to run.
But when Captain Miles Standish, leader of the Pilgrims, invited Algonquin leaders and their families to join his group for a thanksgiving celebration something unique happened. The Pilgrims ran low on provisions and several Algonquins rushed home to fetch more food: five deer, several wild turkeys, fish, beans, squash, corn soup, corn bread and berries.
What began as a traditional Pilgrim thanksgiving became what was probably the first American pot luck and, consequently, the first true American Thanksgiving.
