Thanksgiving history taught in classrooms is often whitewashed. We asked Indigenous people what everyone should know about the holiday -- and how non-natives can be better allies.

When the first settlers arrived in Jamestown in April 1607 and raised a cross at Cape Henry, claiming the land for England, they may have had a thanksgiving predating their first known observance in 1619. In that year, Berkeley Hundred was settled, one of a number of plantations granted by the Virginia Co. of London to its stockholders.

Thanksgiving is often celebrated in the United States as a time for gratitude, family, and feasting. The narrative taught in schools and popularized in the media paints a harmonious picture of the Pilgrims and Native Americans sharing a peaceful meal in 1621.

As many prepare to gather around the table for annual Thanksgiving feasts and celebrations, some might wonder when the tradition started and when it became a national holiday.

The first Thanksgiving was a moment when two totally different groups came together to celebrate the first harvest. We seem to be forgetting that we should all be Americans first.

And while we know that our Thanksgiving holiday tradition goes back a long way, when was the first Thanksgiving? And did the first Thanksgiving meal include all of the food we're used to seeing on our own festive tables?