logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2022
45m 10s

The First Thanksgiving

History Hit
About this episode

In the fall of 1621, a year after the pilgrim ship the Mayflower landed on the coast of New England, the settlers of the Plymouth Colony celebrated their first successful harvest. Joining them at the three day feast were the Wampanoag people, Native Americans who had to taught the settlers how to grow corn, ensuring the community would survive the coming winter. Richard Pickering tells Don about the difficulties faced by the pilgrims as they made their way from Europe and how the first Thanksgiving forged diplomatic relations with the Wampanoag people. Creating the foundations for the national holiday now celebrated every year in America.


Produced and mixed by Benjie Guy. Senior Producer: Charlotte Long.


For more History Hit content, subscribe to our newsletters here.

If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts, and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today!


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Yesterday
The Truth about the Two-Term Limit
The two-term limit, the idea that the President of the United States may not seek a third term, has a long history. Originating from a decision made by George Washington, it quickly became an established political norm in America. Since then however it has transformed from a poli ... Show More
38m 23s
Jan 12
America's Most Innovative General
New weapons, new opponents, new technology - as warfare evolves, armies need generals able to evolve with it. In this episode, Don is joined by Cecily Zander to discuss the most innovative generals in American History. Whether it's the use of tanks, total war or local scouts, the ... Show More
36m 43s
Jan 8
How Revolutionary was the Declaration of Independence?
In July 1776, a group of men in Philadelphia committed an unthinkable act: they challenged one of the most powerful empires in the world by signing what became known as the American Declaration of Independence.What had happened in the previous years that pushed them to such drast ... Show More
56m 41s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2021
Thanksgiving Reconsidered
November 26, 1970. In Plymouth, Massachusetts, on the 350th anniversary of the Pilgrims’ arrival, protestors gather under a statue of Massasoit, the Wampanoag leader who had made peace with the Pilgrims, and partook in the legendary Thanksgiving meal. This protest was organized b ... Show More
33m 57s
Nov 2019
Ep 61 | Thanksgiving Is Not Racist & Neither Were the Pilgrims | The Glenn Beck Podcast
Despite how progressives may try to rewrite history, the truth is the Pilgrims were America’s first abolitionists. In fact, they also planted seeds for our equality, free market, freedom of religion, education, due process, private property, and much more! One year shy of the Ply ... Show More
1h 9m
Jan 2023
The First Indigenous Americans in Europe
<p>1492 marked the beginning of the Colombian Exchange - the transfer of people, goods, ideas and commodities across the Atlantic between Europe and the Americas. We hear a lot about the conquistadors, the settlers, Jesuit priests and colonisers from Spain, Portugal and Britain w ... Show More
24m 13s
Dec 2022
Paganism & Festive Traditions
<p>The darkest nights of the year have long been the time for celebrations, from Yule and Mother Night, to Christmas and New Year's Eve. But where did these traditions come from? Who started kissing under the mistletoe? Why are trees decorated and brought into homes around this t ... Show More
37m 29s
Nov 2021
The myth of Thanksgiving
<p>This year marks the 400th anniversary of the “first Thanksgiving” between English pilgrims and Wampanoags in Massachusetts. But historians say the true story of what happened bears little resemblance to the myth that many Americans learn in grade school.</p><p><br></p><p>Read ... Show More
21m 21s
Dec 2022
The First Britons
<p>67 million people currently inhabit the United Kingdom - but what do we know about the original, first Britons? It's no secret when looking back into pre-history that it was a time of mass migration for animals and people alike, but who were our early inhabitants, and what can ... Show More
49m 20s
Feb 2023
Birth of Cornwall
<p>In the fifth century, Western Europe began remaking itself in the turmoil that followed the collapse of the Roman Empire.&nbsp;In south-west Britain, old tribal authorities and identities reasserted themselves and a ruling elite led a vibrant and outward-looking kingdom - toda ... Show More
35m 33s
May 2023
Native Americans: a new history
For too long, argues Professor Ned Blackhawk, Indigenous people have been marginalised or viewed merely as passive participants in the history of the United States. Speaking to Matt Elton, Ned discusses the central role that Indigenous people have played across centuries of the n ... Show More
49m 22s