In March 1621, when Plymouth's survival was hanging in the balance, the Wampanoag sachem (or chief), Ousamequin (Massasoit), and Plymouth's governor, John Carver, declared their people's friendship
... for each other and a commitment to mutual defense. When the English gathered their first successful harvest and lifted the specter of starvation, Ousmaequin and 90 of his men visited Plymouth for the "First Thanksgiving." 400 years after that famous meal, Silverman focuses on the Wampanoag Indians as he examines the creation-- and bloody dissolution-- of their alliance. This history reveals why some modern Native people hold a Day of Mourning on Thanksgiving, a holiday celebrating the white proprietorship of the United States. -- adapted from jacket Read More