For months during the long winter of 1620-21, the Wampanoag people watched uneasily as the strangers settled on their land. First, these white people dug into some graves, probably looking for objects of value. Then they unearthed a big stockpile of corn that was being saved for planting in the spring. Finally, they began to build a settlement on the former site of an Indigenous village on the coast of what is now Massachusetts. The village was empty because its inhabitants had recently been wiped out by a disease brought by people on a previous European ship.
The Wampanoag (WAHM-pah-nog) name for that place was Patuxet (see map, below). The newcomers, who were from England, called it Plymouth.
They are known to history as the Pilgrims. Their journey on a ship called the Mayflower, their settlement in today’s New England, and their so-called “first Thanksgiving” are part of one of the most famous legends in all American history.
It was the long winter of 1620-21. For months, the Wampanoag people watched uneasily as the strangers settled on their land. First, these white people dug into some graves. They probably were looking for objects of value. Then they dug up a big stockpile of corn that was being saved for planting in the spring. Finally, they began to build a settlement on the former site of an Indigenous village. That was on the coast of what is now Massachusetts. The village was empty. The people who had lived there had recently been wiped out by a disease brought by settlers who arrived on a previous European ship.
The Wampanoag (WAHM-pah-nog) name for that place was Patuxet (see map, below). The newcomers, who were from England, called it Plymouth.
Those newcomers are known to history as the Pilgrims. Their journey on a ship called the Mayflower is part of one of the most famous legends in all American history. Their settlement in today’s New England and their so-called “first Thanksgiving” are part of that legend too.