Thanksgiving

History books describe the first Thanksgiving as a harvest celebration held in 1621 by the Pilgrims, whose early settlers of Plymouth Rock, who wore big black hats and buckled boots and carried flare- barreled muskets. The Pilgrims invited local Indians to their celebration, or so the story goes, and together they gave thanks and feasted on turkey and sweet potatoes. Despite the propagation of the Thanksgiving story in books and encyclopedias, some historians believe a good deal of Pilgrim lore is just plain false. It's generally agreed that sometime in early October, not late November, fifty or so Pilgrims held a three-day harvest bash. Beyond that, there is little evidence to authenticate the stories. Writers and painters have tended to moralize and romanticize the story, embellishing it with colorful anecdotes and side stepping the grimmer details.
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African Games

Here’s our list of some of the most popular traditional games played by children across Africa. Have a read and tell us what game you played growing up. read more

Underground Railroad Quilt Code

Secret messages in the form of quilt patterns aided slaves escaping the bonds of captivity in the Southern states before and during the American Civil War.

Slaves could not read or write; it was illegal to teach a slave to do so. Codes, therefore, were part and parcel of the slaves’ existence and their route to freedom, which eventually became known as the Underground Railroad. Some forms of dance, spirituals, code words and phrases, and memorized symbols all allowed the slaves to communicate with each other on a level their white owners could not interpret. Codes were created by both whites aiding the slaves, and by Blacks aiding the slaves. The Blacks included other slaves, former slaves or free men and women. In slavery, secrecy was one way the blacks could protect themselves from the whites; even the youngest child was taught to effectively keep a secret from anyone outside of the family.

Eredo:
The Largest City in the Ancient World