Ann Byers - Squanto

Shown here is a Wampanoag warrior. This group of Native Americans played an important part in the history of the United States.

Chapter One

HEROES EVERYWHERE

H istory has many different tales about men and women who did incredible things. These people are known as heroes. Groups of people around the world tell stories of their heroes and their bravery, intelligence, or amazing deeds. Heroes can be real or fictional, and real heroes have truly earned their place in history.

The Native American tribes living in the United States today have many legends and stories of important people. These men and women have become heroes over generations. Some people might be well known, such as Pocahontas or Sacagawea. Others might be new names, such as Sequoyah or Crazy Horse. All of their stories helped shape America into what it is today.

Fast Fact

Thanksgiving is celebrated every November in the United States. Canada celebrates Thanksgiving, too, but it honors a different feast and happens in October.

One of the most-told stories about Native Americans involves a man named Squanto. He was an important part of the story of Europeans arriving in America. He was also at the first celebration of what we now call Thanksgiving. In fact, he made this celebration possible. His story lives on in US history.

The first Native American the Pilgrims met was Samoset ( center ).

This illustration shows the first time Massasoita Wampanoag leader visited the Pilgrims.

Squanto

Squanto was born in the later 1500s, during a time when American cities didnt exist. America itself was a landmass and not its own country. Squantos surroundings were forests, rivers, and mountains. He belonged to a Native American tribe called the Patuxet. They were part of a larger group called the Wampanoag. His tribe called him Tisquantum. However, later in life, he became known as Squanto. Today, people know him by that name.

Fast Fact

A Native American chief named Samoset was the first person to make contact with the Pilgrims in 1620. He and Squanto worked together.

WHO WERE THE PILGRIMS?

The Pilgrims were a group of men and women who traveled in 1620 from England to North America. Their original destination was the colony of Virginia; however, a storm blew them off course. They landed in Plymouth Harbor in Massachusetts instead. The ship that brought them to America was called the Mayflower.

The Pilgrims were seeking religious freedom. That means they wanted to practice religion in a way that differed from how others practiced in England. They believed in a certain way of life and had strict rules for following Christianity.

Some people aboard the Mayflower werent looking for religious freedom. The Pilgrims called these people strangers. Anyone who was a believer was called a saint. The strangers didnt practice the Pilgrims strict Christianity, but they wanted a new life in America. They agreed to listen to the Pilgrims and follow new rules in the new land.

Before they left the Mayflower, most of the men on the ship signed an agreement called the Mayflower Compact. This was the first set of rules or laws written down for a group of settlers to follow in the New World. It would be an important example for other similar agreements in later generations.

The Pilgrims brought to the New World the few things they thought they would need to start new lives.