Japan and Thanksgiving

              Today we know that there was really no "Northwest Passage" through America to China and Japan. But what if there was? You could sail straight through North America and come to the "Land of the Rising Sun." You would have reached Japan.
             While explorers were still searching for the "Northwest Passage" and setting up colonies in the new world, Japan was having a civil war. The emperor no longer had power over the land. Instead, noblemen called "Daimyo" ruled over different parts of Japan. Groups of Japanese soldiers called "Samurai" roamed around the countryside, fighting for whoever would pay them the most. The empire of Japan was divided. Then, a man named Toyotomi Hideyoshi united the country once again.
               Hideyoshi was no one important. He was a peddler with little money or possessions. He wasn't even handsome, and his wife called him "The Bald Rat." But then, Hideyoshi became a soldier in the army of an important nobleman, Nobunaga, who wanted to put all the pieces of Japan together under his rule. Hideyoshi was a loyal soldier, and he became Nobunaga's sandalbearer. Eventually, Hideyoshi was granted the title of "General", and he soon became the nobleman's favorite. But Nobunaga was killed in battle, and four different samurai stated that they would help his young grandson to rule. Each of them really only wanted the throne for himself. Hideyoshi gathered an army of 200,000 soldiers and smashed the rebellious samurais' armies to bits. He then went on to reunite all of Japan, but when he tried to take control of China, he failed, and died not long afterwards.
                While Hideyoshi was still alive, a man named Tokugawa Ieyasu was one of his most trusted helpers. However, he was trying to accumulate loyalty for himself, and when Hideyoshi died, he fought against Hideyori, the five year old heir to the throne. He won the fight, and established himself as "shogun." His capital city was named Edo, and now it is called Tokyo. He encouraged art, literature, and sumo wrestling. He took great measures to make sure the people in his kingdom were loyal to him. Eventually, Ieyasu captured and destroyed the fortress where Hideyori was hiding. Now the whole of Japan was under the rule of the "Tokugawa Shogunate," the family of Ieyasu.

                Imagine that you are a separatist in England, during the early1600's. You believe that the church of England should be purified from all that is Catholic - the candles, the priests, and the prayerbooks,- but it is not happening. You now have given up all hope that the church of England will ever be fully purified. So you separate yourself from the English Church and go to your own services. But King James makes you pay high taxes, and he doesn't let you use real church buildings. You have to meet in barns or stables. One man you know, named William Bradford, is so angry about this, that he and the other separatists have decided to go and live in Holland, where the Dutch welcomed the Protestants. However; when you get to Holland the children are starting to become Dutch! They forget their beliefs, and some go off to war while others go off to sea. The parents want their children to grow up to be good little English boys and girls, but here in Holland, that is near impossible.



William Bradford



                    So everyone gathers onto a ship named the Mayflower and you sail off to find a new life in the New World. The journey is long and hard, but the land is well worth the trip. All the colonists sign a contract called the Mayflower Contract, and then the men go off to explore. They find the perfect place, near cornfields, and next to a stream. All the colonists, including you, work hard, building log houses, but still the food is running low. Sometimes several colonists die in one day. But, soon, the Indians take pity on your starving colony. You make a treaty with the Indians that neither party will hurt the other. Squanto, a friendly native, who can speak English, teaches you how to plant corn. Thanksgiving is celebrated, with lots of food, contests, and peace. Life in America looks like it is off to a good start.

The English, Spanish, and the French were in the New World, but the Dutch were not. Instead, their country was prospering in Europe, with many schools, artists, and traders. One big Dutch company, The Dutch East India Company, sent ships to Asia, which came back with spices, silks, and many other rare items. Soon the Dutch became the most important sea traders in the world. But when they heard of the pelts and furs that could be found in the New World of America, they set up another big company, The Dutch West India Company. This company sent 30 families to live on the banks of the Hudson River and start a colony. The colonists traded beads, cloth, and knives in exchange for Manhattan Island. The Indians thought that the colonists would live on the island for a few years and then move somewhere else. They were wrong. The Dutch had no intention of moving now that they were setting up "New Amsterdam." The town flourished. People from everywhere on the globe came to trade with the Dutch. Imports from India and Africa helped the town grow into a big trading port. But the town was not in the best condition. It was falling apart. The Dutch West India Company tried sending other governors to try and control the town, but it was not use. Finally, they made one last effort. A man named Peter Suyvesant made new laws and enforced them. He repaired the town and ordered ministers to preach more on Sundays. Despite his wooden leg, Stuyvesant was a model governor. But the English colonies were pressing in on New Amsterdam, and eventually he had to surrender to the English soldiers that had surrounded his colony. Now all of the North American colonies were English. The English renamed the colony "New York", a name that has stuck to this day.