ians that were there were helping only to gain security, for their tribes had become very weakened. It is thought that the land was completely vacated and the Pilgrims only found cleared paths and flowing streams perfect for a settlement. The Pilgrims did have help though from one Indian named Squanto who is said to have been a slave in Spain and had escaped back to Massachusetts only to find his family dead. Squanto is also another myth. Instead of being a slave, Squanto is portrayed in history books to have learned English from fishermen and had helped the Pilgrims to plant crops. Textbooks also leave out parts of history where the English forced Indians into slavery and stole from the Indians corn, personal belongings and even stole from the dead. So why is there a myth about the first Thanksgiving? Thanksgiving is created for Americans own ethnocentrism. People long ago made a story to make the Pilgrims sound like good, Christian, democratic and generous people who would never dream of mistreating others and only go off in order to profit. In order to keep Americans thinking that this is the best country, textbooks must eliminate the hard truths of the plague, a hijacking and the awful relationships and treatments of the Indians....
