A Tale of Two Feasts - Thanksgiving and Prayer

A tribute to El Rushbo and his annual take on the Thanksgiving story with our own twist an flare. A look at how America rejected Socialism.

This podcast was so fun to make and research.

SOURCES:

Primary Source: "Mourt's Relation" (1622) – Eyewitness account of the Mayflower voyage and early Plymouth settlement, including the Separatists' motivations. Full text available via Internet Archive. Essential for verifying the "motley crew" of Puritans and "strangers."

• Historical Database: Pilgrim Hall Museum Digital Library – Archives letters, journals, and artifacts on the Separatists' flight from England to Holland. Free access at Pilgrim Hall Museum. Great for primary docs on King James I's persecution.
• Novel: "The Frontiersmen" by Allan W. Eckert (1967) – First in Eckert's "Winning of America" series; narrative non-fiction blending history with Native perspectives on early colonists. Available on Amazon or libraries; footnotes cite sources like Bradford.
• Analysis: "Pilgrims (Plymouth Colony)" on Wikipedia – Well-sourced overview with citations to primary texts; cross-reference with Plimoth Patuxet Museums for verified bios.

• Primary Source: Full Text of the Mayflower Compact (1620) – As transcribed by William Bradford. Read the original wording at Avalon Project, Yale Law School. Verifies the "civil body politic" pledge.
• Historical Database: Founders Online (National Archives) – Digitized manuscripts, including the Compact and related letters. Free at Founders Online. Includes analysis of its democratic roots.

• Scholarly: "The Mayflower Compact" by the General Society of Mayflower Descendants – Detailed analysis with replicas. At Mayflower Society.

• Primary Source: "Of Plymouth Plantation" by William Bradford (1630–1651) – Governor's journal detailing the unmarked graves and survival struggles. Full text at Project Gutenberg. Core evidence for the 51 deaths.
• Historical Database: Plymouth Colony Archive Project – University of Virginia's collection of 17th-century docs, including Bradford's excerpts on the winter. Free at Plymouth Archive.

• Analysis: "Plymouth Colony" on History.com – Concise timeline with sources; links to primary accounts. history.com

• Primary Source: "Mourt's Relation" (1622) – First mention of Squanto's arrival and teachings. Excerpts at Plimoth Patuxet.
• Historical Database: Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian – Bios and artifacts on Tisquantum; free digital exhibits at NMAI.
• Novel: "Squanto: A Warrior's Tale" (film adaptation, 1994) – Based on historical research; script draws from Winslow's accounts. Stream on Disney+ or read novelization.
• Scholarly: "Squanto" on Britannica – Concise bio with sources like Bradford. britannica.com Deeper: "Bound for the Promised Land" by Jason E. Jewell (2017) – Focuses on Squanto's enslavement and return.

• Primary Source: "Good Newes from New England" by Edward Winslow (1624) – Describes the 1623 rain/thanksgiving: "We held a day of thanksgiving for the rain." At Internet Archive.
• Historical Database: Plimoth Patuxet – "A Day of Thanksgiving, Summer 1623" – Curated exhibit with Winslow excerpts; at Plimoth.org