The Pilgrims built Plymouth on land of the Wampanoag people. A Wampanoag leader named Massasoit made peace with them.
Key idea
In the fall of 1621, the Pilgrims and about 90 Wampanoag men, led by Massasoit, shared a harvest feast that lasted about three days.
Why it works
A man named Squanto (Tisquantum) had learned English. He showed the Pilgrims how to plant corn and where to fish. Thanks to that help, the Pilgrims had a good harvest. To celebrate, they went hunting for birds. Massasoit and his men came, and they went out and brought back five deer. Everyone ate and celebrated together.
Common mistake
Many pictures show a small dinner with pie. The real feast lasted about three days, and the Wampanoag brought deer. We know about it from a letter written in 1621 by a Pilgrim, Edward Winslow.
For the grown-up: Squanto had been taken to Europe by an English ship captain years before, and there he learned English. When he came home, he found his village, Patuxet, emptied by sickness; Plymouth was built where it had stood.