The document provides background information on the origins of the Thanksgiving holiday. It describes the religious and political climate in 17th century England that caused the Puritans and Separatists to seek religious freedom elsewhere. In 1620, a group of Separatists known as the Pilgrims secured funding from investors to establish a colony in North America. They sailed on the Mayflower and intended to settle near the Hudson River, but harsh conditions forced them to land at Plymouth Rock instead. In the first winter, half of the colonists perished from sickness or starvation. The following autumn, the Pilgrims shared an harvest feast with the Wampanoag tribe, led by the chief Massasoit, which is considered the first Thanksgiving celebration.