We’ve been taught a lot about the Pilgrims and Thanksgiving, but some historians think we don’t really have our facts straight. Here are four things you’ve learned that may not be true . . .
1. They landed at Plymouth Rock. They actually landed in Cape Cod first, then went to Plymouth. And no one ever claimed they set foot on Plymouth Rock anyway, until 121 years AFTER they arrived. None of the original pilgrims ever wrote about it.
2. They came to America in search of religious freedom. They actually went to Holland first, and had lots of religious freedom there. But they couldn’t find work. So yes, they came here to KEEP their religious freedom, but also to make a living.
3. The Pilgrim Thanksgiving was the first American Thanksgiving. Native Americans had similar celebrations all the time, mostly involving their crops and harvests. They didn’t call it “Thanksgiving Day,” but neither did the Pilgrims. The first known use of that term was in 1674, 53 years after the first Pilgrim Thanksgiving.
4. The Pilgrims were boring and always wore black. In the descriptions of items from the Plymouth Colony, there are references to red, blue, green, yellow, and orange clothes. And there are also mentions of beer and barbecues.
