that if the rope used in the game touched a Kindergartner, the child was “dead” and out of the game. I stated to spouse whatever happened to the game “Duck, Duck, Goose” that was played when I attended Kindergarten.
On Thanksgiving Day while preparing our meal, I asked granddaughter for the reasons of this celebration. She stated to me that we celebrate Thanksgiving “to give thanks to the Indians for helping the Pilgrims”. I promptly corrected her and stated that we give thanks to God for inspiring the Indians to help the Pilgrims and give thanks to God for bestowing His daily blessings on us. Later that day, I received an email from a Christian ministry that discussed the true story of the first Thanksgiving that one was also left unaware of throughout my years of schooling. The story discussed a Paxuxets Indian from what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts named Squanto who was sold into slavery prior to the Pilgrims arriving in Plymouth. Squanto was brought to a slave trading port in Malaga Spain where he was rescued by Christian friars. The friars instructed him in the Christian faith prior to him joining with an Englishman travelling to London. In London, Squanto lived with a wealthy merchant where he learned to speak the English language. Later, Squanto joined a ships’ crew led by Captain Dermer who sailed to New England and dropped Squanto off in Plymouth. Shortly thereafter, the Pilgrims arrived in Plymouth sailing from Holland aboard an English ship. It is important also to note that the Pilgrims were not leaving Holland to escape religious persecution as stated in many school textbooks. The Pilgrims had already escaped religious persecution by leaving England to live in Holland. The reason they left Holland was to escape the decadent society that they realized their children were becoming immersed in. So, the Pilgrims left Holland to protect their children from the immoral influences of that society which were occurring at that time.
To assist in hopefully changing the public school Thanksgiving Day curriculum, the following note together with the email sent to me by the Christian ministry containing the true Thanksgiving Day story were sent in November to the United States Secretary of Education, the New York State Commissioner of Education, the local superintendent of schools, and the principal of granddaughter’s elementary school.78
Dear Educators:
Enclosed is the true story of the first Thanksgiving Day, which teachers throughout the nation may want to consider in incorporating into the current public school Thanksgiving Day curriculum.
It has been brought to my attention that the reason for celebrating Thanksgiving Day according to current school curriculum, is that it is a day to give “thanks”. When questioning a public school student on whom do we give thanks to on Thanksgiving Day, the reply was that “we give thanks to the Indians for helping the Pilgrims”. As one can understand through the reading of the attached story, the above answer is grossly incomplete and bordering on erroneous. In the past, public school Thanksgiving Day curriculum concluded with that we give thanks to God for inspiring the American Indians to help the Pilgrims and we thank God for His blessings bestowed on us in our own lives. For further understanding, one can gain additional insight and enlightenment through the reading of the enclosed true