People around the world have always celebrated successful harvests. At heart, Thanksgiving is a celebration of a bountiful harvest. Today we interpret this to also be for the benefits we receive living in America.
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Early American Celebrations
Though there are differences of opinion as to the exact “first people and first date,” the first Thanksgiving here is generally credited to the people of Plymouth Colony in 1621. The colonists invited the Wampanoag Indians who had been instrumental in helping the settlers. The Native Americans provided the group with some of the seeds for planting and showed them ways to successfully fish the area waters.
As time went on, the colonies celebrated the fall harvests based on their own agricultural time tables and the customs they brought from their homeland.
In 1789, George Washington was the first president to declare that there should be a Thanksgiving holiday. There was no specific date set at the time. As American life evolved, a few states set they own dates for a Thanksgiving holiday.
Establishing a Tradition
In the 1840s, a woman named Sarah J. Hale (1788-1879) took up what she felt was an important cause—establishing a National Day of Thanks. Growing up in New England, Hale had always celebrated Thanksgiving. She felt it was a holiday in which the entire nation could share despite the tensions over slavery.
In 1822 Hale’s husband died, leaving her to raise five children. She turned to writing to support the family. She was soon asked to edit a start-up magazine based in Boston, American Ladies Magazine.
Soon after this (1836), Louis Godey hired Hale to run his very popular Godey’s Ladies Book, a very successful magazine started in 1830. Hale used the magazine as a platform to advocate for causes that were important to her, from education for women to the idea of nationalizing a day of thanks.
By 1847, Hale began publishing numerous editorials urging American presidents to nationalize the celebration of Thanksgiving. Hale’s hard work finally paid off.
In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation declaring Thanksgiving to be a national holiday celebrated on the last Thursday of November.
Changing the Date?
In 1939 and 1940, President Franklin Roosevelt was looking for a way to boost the economy at a tough time. He proclaimed that Thanksgiving should be held on the third Thursday of November, a suggestion he hoped would extend the Christmas shopping season. His idea was not well-received, however.
In 1941, Congress passed a joint resolution that Thanksgiving should fall on the fourth Thursday of November.
The Turkey
The foods associated with Thanksgiving hold special meaning because they remind us of a more natural way of life. Many are simple types of country food that could have been prepared a century ago as well as today.
Turkeys were plentiful when the colonists arrived in North America. However, there is a certain irony that turkey is the traditional main course.
Benjamin Franklin had more honorable plans for the turkey. He felt it should be our national bird. He fought forcefully against those who favored the bald eagle. According to Frankin, the eagle was of bad moral character and carried lice.
Unfortunately for Franklin and the turkey, Franklin lost the battle. If the turkey were the national bird, we would be unlikely to be eating it!
The Cranberries
Cranberries were very familiar to Native Americans who used the berries for red dye, as well as to create poultices to draw poisons from arrow wounds. The name “cranberry” came about because the pink flower of the plant bends gracefully over the stem. It reminded early people of the crane; “crane berries” became “cranberries.”
Cape Cod is the source of almost one-half of all the cranberries grown in the world.
The Focus of the Day
In addition to parades, sporting events, and a big meal, families from near and far try to gather at this time of year. Most people think of the things they are grateful for before the onslaught of winter and the December holidays.
As for sporting events, one could almost claim that this tradition dates to the early colonists. When they gathered, the Pilgrims and Native Americans were said to display their skills at shooting guns, using bows and arrows, and racing, wrestling, playing games, and dancing.
And just as many volunteers help out at shelters and soup kitchens on Thanksgiving, the day has always been viewed as a day for sharing by the fortunate to those who were less fortunate.
Happy Thanksgiving!