Name
Date
New Hampshire Thanksgiving Proclamation, 1828
Name
Date
1. This document can best be described as a_____.
A. sketch
B. government edict
C. letter
D. will
2. This document was created in which state?
A. New Delaware
B. New Haven
C. New York
D. New Hampshire
3. This document was promulgated on _____.
A. April 1, 1828
B. January 1, 1828
C. March 1, 1828
D. 1828
4. By whom is this document primarily signed?
A. the Council
B. Richard Bartlett
C. New Hampshire
D. Benjamin Pierce
5. Who is Benjamin Pierce?
6. What is the Secretary of State's name?
7. What is the main purpose of this document?
8. On what day does this document declare its special activities will take place?
Name
Date
9. This document calls for a day of thanksgiving. Does it establish the same date for thanksgiving as the
national government did? Whose call for establishing an annual day for giving thanks came first? Are the
sentiments behind the establishment of both days the same? Do you think that this state still observes the
day established by this document?
Name
Date
10. The United States has changed since Thanksgiving was first established as a national holiday. Is it still
appropriate that we celebrate this holiday as a nation? What exactly are we celebrating? Is it the same thing
that the Pilgrims celebrated? Has Thanksgiving outlived its usefulness as a national holiday, or is it really
all about eating turkey?
Name
Date
Signing the Mayflower Compact, November 11, 1620
Name
Date
The Mayflower Compact was the first governing document of Plymouth Colony. It was signed by 41 of the
Mayflower's 100 passengers. The above document is not the original, which was lost, but is instead a transcription
written by William Bradford.
1. The first document can best be described as a(n) ____.
A. editorial
B. drawing
C. oil painting
D. diary entry
2. The second document can best be described as a(n)_____.
A. oil painting
B. political cartoon
C. social contract
D. sketch
Name
Date
3. The second document was signed by how many people?
A. 100
B. 50
C. 41
D. 1
4. By whom was the second document transcribed?
A. William Bradford
B. Plymouth Plantation
C. Mayflower Compact
D. Benjamin Franklin
5. On what date was the second document created?
6. According to the second document, who was the King of England at the time the document was created?
7. What happened to the original Mayflower Compact?
8. About how many people are present in the first document? Is this the same number that signed the
Mayflower Compact?
9. The Mayflower Compact was an important document in the history of the United States. Why? Place it in
historical context with other important governing documents of this country. Name at least two other key
documents and tell something of their importance.
Name
Date
10. What kinds of people came over to this country on the Mayflower? Were they diverse, or did they all have
the same interests and goals? Why would they have needed a governing document? How did this particular
governing document set the tone for what would become the United States?
Name
Date
Washington's Thanksgiving Proclamation
Name
Date
General Thanksgiving
By the PRESIDENT of the United States Of America
A PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be
grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour; and Whereas both Houses of Congress
have, by their joint committee, requested me "to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLICK
Name
Date
(SIC) THANSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal
favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for
their safety and happiness:"
NOW THEREFORE, I do recommend and assign THURSDAY, the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER next, to
be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of
all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble
thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal
and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war;
for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed;-- for the peaceable and rational
manner in which we have been enabled to establish Constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and
particularly the national one now lately instituted;-- for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and
the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge;-- and, in general, for all the great and various favours
which He has been pleased to confer upon us.
And also, that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of
Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions;-- to enable us all, whether in publick (sic) or
private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government
a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wife, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and
faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shewn (sic)
kindness unto us); and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and
practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all
mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.
GIVEN under my hand, at the city of New-York, the third day of October, in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven
hundred and eighty-nine.
(signed) G. Washington
Source: The Massachusetts Centinel, Wednesday, October 14, 1789
1. This document can best be described as a _____.
A. bill of lading
B. painting
C. diary entry
D. newspaper article
2. This document was created on _____.
A. November 23, 1621
B. October 1, 1789
C. October 17, 1489
D. October 14, 1789
3. This document is signed by _____.
A. Thomas Jefferson
B. Benjamin Franklin
C. John Adams
D. George Washington
4. This article was published in _____.
A. The Washington Post
B. The Massachusetts Centinel
C. The New York Times
D. The Pennsylvania Gazette
Name
Date
5. On what date did the author of this document actually write it?
6. What day does the author of the document want to assign a special purpose?
7. What purpose does the author of the document want to assign to a special day?
8. How much did this document originally cost?
9. Using this document only, discuss the reasons that the author had for wanting to set aside a special day in
November for a special purpose. List and discuss at least four reasons for observing that day.
Name
Date
10. Using your knowledge of history, place this document in the historical context of its author's political life.
Consider the date of this document, along with other important dates in the author's life. Using this
knowledge, then, make a judgment about how important or unimportant this particular issue must have been
to its author and discuss.
Name
Date
Family Gathering Sheet Music, 1853
Name
Date
1. This document can best be described as a(n)_____.
A. charcoal sketch
B. piece of sheet music
C. painting
D. oil painting
2. The name of this document is _____.
A. I.B. Woodbury
B. A Thanksgiving Night Song
C. The Family Gathering
D. T.S. Berry and Co.
3. This document originally sold for _____.
A. 25 cents
B. 75 cents
C. $1.25
D. 50 cents
4. When was this document published?
A. 1923
B. 1953
C. 1853
D. 1583
5. Who composed this document?
6. Where was this document published?
7. How does the subtitle characterize this document?
8. Why might a document such as this have sold better during its time than during the present time?
Name
Date
9. Many families have cherished Thanksgiving traditions. Are these traditions dependent on time (i.e.,
historical eras) or technology, or do traditions exist outside of such constraints? Using examples of actual
Thanksgiving traditions, such as one that might have revolved around this document, take a position and
defend your answer.
Name
Date
10. When the first Thanksgiving was celebrated, it was probably done so with no thought toward establishing
an annual holiday. What similarities exist between the first Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving as many
families observe it today? Do you think that there are more similarities or differences between the two
occasions?
Name
Date
Mayflower Tercentenary
1. These documents can best be described as _____.
A. bills of lading
B. paintings
C. stamps
D. books
2. These documents have a face value.
A. True
B. False
Name
Date
3. These documents commemorate what historical event?
A. The third anniversary of the landing of the Mayflower.
B. The two-hundredth anniversary of the landing of the Mayflower.
C. The three-hundredth anniversary of the first Thanksgiving.
D. The three-hundredth anniversary of the landing of the Mayflower.
4. Which event is not depicted in these documents?
A. the signing of the Mayflower Compact
B. meeting the Wampanoag
C. the Mayflower
D. the landing of the Pilgrims
5. Did these documents have an intended use? What was it?
6. Do you think that these documents might be worth more than their face value today? Why or why not?
7. What do the numbers on these documents represent?
8. Based on your knowledge of history and on these documents, what anniversary would follow the one
commemorated by these documents?
9. Collecting this type of document is a hobby that many people enjoy. What aspects of this hobby do you
think that people would find most enjoyable? Would you consider engaging in this hobby yourself? Explain
why you feel this way.
Name
Date
10. The Pilgrims arrived in the New World hundreds of years ago. Why do you suppose we continue to study
them? What lessons can we learn from their journey and from their lives? Should we continue to study
them, or is it time to move on and focus more on the events of the more recent past?
Name
Date
The First Thanksgiving by Ferris
1. This document can best be described as a _____.
A. piece of sheet music
B. painting
C. bookplate
D. political cartoon
2. This document was created by _____.
A. the Pilgrims
B. the Wampanoag
C. Ferris
D. the New York Times
3. Which two groups of people are featured prominently in this painting?
A. Pilgrims and American Indians
B. Pilgrims and soldiers
C. dogs and children
D. none of the above
4. This document depicts what famous "first"?
A. dinner
B. Independence Day
C. Christmas
D. Thanksgiving
5. Who is serving whom in the document?
Name
Date
6. Does this document depict a meal closer to the Pilgrims' homes or to the American Indians'? How do you
know?
7. One of the men in the document is pictured with a gun. If this meal is a peaceful one, why would he need
it?
8. Are there more Pilgrims or Indians in this document?
9. Why was the celebration depicted in this document taking place? In what year would it have occurred?
What events had directly preceded it? Were the two prominent groups in the document "friends forever"
after the event pictured here?
Name
Date
10. Were all of the non-American Indians at this meal Pilgrims? Use your knowledge of history and this
document to help you answer this question. What might have been served at this meal? Would turkey have
been on the menu? Compare and contrast the menu at this meal with the menu at its contemporary
counterpart in your own kitchen at home!
Name
Date
Pilgrims Worship at Plymouth
1. This document can best be described as a(n) ____.
A. drawing
B. editorial
C. oil painting
D. diary entry
2. In what activity are the individuals in the document engaged?
A. work
B. worship
C. song
D. meditation
Name
Date
3. Who are the individuals in the document?
A. Puritans
B. Pilgrims
C. Cowboys
D. American Indians
4. About how many people are visible in this document?
A. 25
B. 20
C. 10
D. 15
5. What are the men in this document not wearing?
6. Can you infer who the man in the pulpit (the speaker's area set apart from the other people) is?
7. What kind of unusual item do some of the men have with them?
8. In what town are the people in this document located?
9. Who were the Pilgrims? Where did they come from? Why did they leave their home country?
Name
Date
10. What is the Pilgrims' connection with Thanksgiving? How was the first Thanksgiving celebrated? Who
were the participants?
Name
Date
Presidential Proclamation on Thanksgiving 1863
THE FIRST IN AN UNBROKEN SERIES OF AUTUMN PROCLAMATIONS:
THANKSGIVING DAY 1863 by ABRAHAM LINCOLN
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - A PROCLAMATION
The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To
these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others
have been added which are of so extraordinary a nature that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart
which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.
In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign states to invite
and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have
been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere, except in the theater of military conflict, while that
theater has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and
of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense have not arrested the plow, the shuttle, or the
ship; the ax has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious
metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased notwithstanding the
waste that has been made in the camp, the siege, and the battlefield, and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of
augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.
No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of
the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.
It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one
heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United
States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last
Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.
And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and
blessings they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender
care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are
unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty hand to heal the wounds of the nation
and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the divine purpose, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony,
tranquility, and union.
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.
Done at the city of Washington, this 3d day of October A.D. 1863, and of the Independence of the United States the
eighty-eighth.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Name
Date
1. This document can best be described as a(n)_____.
A. provocation
B. proclamation
C. exclamation
D. reclamation
2. This document was created in _____.
A. 1863
B. 1963
C. 1861
D. 1961
3. This document was created during which war?
A. the Spanish-American War
B. the Civil War
C. WWI
D. WWII
4. The author of this document was_____.
A. President of the United States of America
B. Governor of Illinois
C. Jeff Davis
D. President of the Confederate States of America
5. For what purpose does the author of this document propose setting aside the last Thursday in November?
6. On what date was this document written?
7. According to the document, has population increased or decreased during this period in history? Why is the
answer somewhat surprising?
8. In the latter part of the document, the author names four groups of people who have been personally
devastated by the war. Who are they?
Name
Date
9. Using your knowledge of history, comment on whether the author of this document objectively had
anything for which to be thankful, strictly in the context of the national conflict over which he was
presiding (in other words, how was the war going?)
Name
Date
10. The author of this document mentions God many times in this speech. In fact, the entire speech is centered
around giving thanks to God. Would a speech like this be given by a leader of our country today? Explain
your answer.