| No. | Expected answer | Points | Mark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part A · Understanding the documents | |||
| 1 | A harvest celebration in 1621 with Massasoit and about ninety Wampanoag men, which lasted three days (1). It is the only eyewitness account of 1621 (1). | 2 points | / 2 |
| 2 | The Wampanoag leader (“their greatest king”); his presence with ninety men suggests a diplomatic event, an alliance, not only a meal. | 1 point | / 1 |
| 3 | Because the organisers of the 350th anniversary did not allow him to deliver his speech as written (1); he spoke on Thanksgiving Day and the first National Day of Mourning was held (1). | 2 points | / 2 |
| 4 | “we the Wampanoags still walk the lands of Massachusetts”. | 1 point | / 1 |
| Part B · Language and key facts | |||
| 5 | Jamestown was founded (by the settlers) in 1607 on the land of the Powhatan. | 1 point | / 1 |
| 6 | The Pilgrims are said to have eaten turkey in 1621. | 1 point | / 1 |
| 7 | a) 1619, twenty-two burgesses met at Jamestown; b) 1620, forty-one men agreed to form a civil body politic; c) 1737, John and Thomas Penn took perhaps over one million acres of Lenape land; d) 1863, Lincoln set apart the last Thursday of November (1 point each: 0.5 for the year, 0.5 for the explanation). | 4 points | / 4 |
| Criterion | Full marks | Half marks | No marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Use of the documents (2 points) | Both documents used, with one short quotation. (2) | One document used. (1) | Documents not used. (0) |
| Historical accuracy (2 points) | Dated facts that are correct (1621, 1863, 1970) and Native nations named. (2) | Some correct facts, some vague. (1) | Wrong or invented facts. (0) |
| Two points of view and nuance (2 points) | Two points of view, then a nuanced conclusion (on balance, however). (2) | Two points of view, no real conclusion. (1) | One point of view only. (0) |
| Language (2 points) | Passive and reporting structure used correctly, linking words, mostly correct. (2) | Some errors, simple linking words. (1) | Errors often block meaning. (0) |
| Part | Points | Mark |
|---|---|---|
| Part A · Understanding the documents | 6 points | / 6 |
| Part B · Language and key facts | 6 points | / 6 |
| Part C · Writing: Whose story? | 8 points | / 8 |
| Total | 20 points | / 20 |
Every November, millions of Americans sit down to a family dinner. The holiday recalls a harvest gathering of 1621 between English settlers and the Wampanoag. But whose story does it tell?
For many families, Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful and to be together. Its origin is documented: Edward Winslow, the only eyewitness, describes three days of feasting with Massasoit and some ninety men. The celebration was later turned into a national holiday by Abraham Lincoln in 1863.
However, the story is said to have been simplified. The gathering was a diplomatic alliance, and the colonies were built on Native homelands. In 1970, Wamsutta Frank James was not allowed to give his speech, so he spoke on Cole's Hill, and a National Day of Mourning has been held every year since. As he said, “we the Wampanoags still walk the lands of Massachusetts.”
On balance, the holiday can be kept, but its history should be told in full, with the Wampanoag voices that the national myth has left out.