from
Homespun-Country Kitchen!
The
Thanksgiving Story
(Source: http://wilstar.com/holidays/thanksgv.htm)
THE ORIGINS
OF THANKSGIVING IN AMERICA
The Pilgrims who sailed to this country
aboard the Mayflower were originally
members of the English Separatist Church
(a Puritan sect). They had earlier fled
their home in England and sailed to
Holland (The Netherlands) to escape
religious persecution. There, they
enjoyed more religious tolerance, but
they eventually became disenchanted with
the Dutch way of life, thinking it
ungodly.
Seeking a better life, the Separatists
negotiated with a London stock company to
finance a pilgrimage to America. Most of
those making the trip aboard the
Mayflower were non-Separatists, but were
hired to protect the company's interests.
Only about one-third of the original
colonists were Separatists. The Pilgrims
set ground at Plymouth Rock on December
11, 1620. Their first winter was
devastating.
At the beginning of the following fall,
they had lost 46 of the original 102 who
sailed on the Mayflower. But the harvest
of 1621 was a bountiful one. And the
remaining colonists decided to celebrate
with a feast -- including 91 Indians who
had helped the Pilgrims survive their
first year. It is believed that the
Pilgrims would not have made it through
the year without the help of the natives.
The feast was more of a traditional
English harvest festival than a true
"thanksgiving" observance. It
lasted three days. Governor William
Bradford sent "four men
fowling" after wild ducks and geese.
It is not certain that wild turkey was
part of their feast. However, it is
certain that they had venison. The term
"turkey" was used by the
Pilgrims to mean any sort of wild fowl.
Another modern staple at almost every
Thanksgiving table is pumpkin pie. But it
is unlikely that the first feast included
that treat. The supply of flour had been
long diminished, so there was no bread or
pastries of any kind. However, they did
eat boiled pumpkin, and they produced a
type of fried bread from their corn crop.
There was also no milk, cider, potatoes,
or butter. There was no domestic cattle
for dairy products, and the
newly-discovered potato was still
considered by many Europeans to be
poisonous. But the feast did include
fish, berries, watercress, lobster, dried
fruit, clams, venison, and plums.
This "thanksgiving" feast was
not repeated the following year. But in
1623, during a severe drought, the
pilgrims gathered in a prayer service,
praying for rain. When a long, steady
rain followed the very next day, Governor
Bradford proclaimed another day of
Thanksgiving, again inviting their Indian
friends.
It wasn't until June of 1676 that another
Day of Thanksgiving was proclaimed. On
June 20, 1676, the governing council of
Charlestown, Massachusetts, held a
meeting to determine how best to express
thanks for the good fortune that had seen
their community securely established.
By unanimous vote they instructed Edward
Rawson, the clerk, to proclaim June 29 as
a day of thanksgiving. It is notable that
this thanksgiving celebration probably
did not include the Indians, as the
celebration was meant partly to be in
recognition of the colonists' recent
victory over the "heathen
natives".
October of 1777 marked the first time
that all 13 colonies joined in a
thanksgiving celebration. It also
commemorated the patriotic victory over
the British at Saratoga. But it was a
one-time affair. George Washington
proclaimed a National Day of Thanksgiving
in 1789, although some were opposed to
it.
There was discord among the colonies,
many feeling the hardships of a few
Pilgrims did not warrant a national
holiday. And later, President Thomas
Jefferson scoffed at the idea of having a
day of thanksgiving. It was Sarah Josepha
Hale, a magazine editor, whose efforts
eventually led to what we recognize as
Thanksgiving.
Hale wrote many editorials championing
her cause in her Boston Ladies' Magazine,
and later, in Godey's Lady's Book.
Finally, after a 40-year campaign of
writing editorials and letters to
governors and presidents, Hale's
obsession became a reality when, in 1863,
President Lincoln proclaimed the last
Thursday in November as a national day of
Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving was proclaimed by every
president after Lincoln. The date was
changed a couple of times, most recently
by Franklin Roosevelt, who set it up one
week to the next-to-last Thursday in
order to create a longer Christmas
shopping season.
Public uproar against this decision
caused the president to move Thanksgiving
back to its original date two years
later. And in 1941, Thanksgiving was
finally sanctioned by Congress as a legal
holiday, as the fourth Thursday in
November.
Thanksgiving
Quiz
The answers to the Thanksgiving Quiz can
be found in the story,
THE ORIGINS OF THANKSGIVING IN AMERICA.
1. What year did the Pilgrims have their
first Thanksgiving Feast?
1619
1620
1621
1935
2. What food was probably NOT on the
Pilgrims' Thanksgiving menu?
Potatoes
Corn
Fish
Dried Fruit
3. The Horn of Plenty, or Cornucopia,
which symbolizes abundance, originated in
what country?
Holland
Greece
America
Turkey
4. In 1676, a day of thanksgiving was
proclaimed to take place during what
month?
May
June
October
November
5. What president didn't like the idea of
having a national Thanksgiving Day?
Washington
Nixon
Truman
Jefferson
6. Who is credited with leading the
crusade to establish Thanksgiving Day?
Sarah Jessica Parker
Sarah Lee
Sarah Josepha Hale
Sarah Ferguson
7. Which president first established the
date of Thanksgiving as a national
celebration?
Jefferson
Adams
Lincoln
Wilson
8. Which president moved the date of
Thanksgiving twice?
Lincoln
T. Roosevelt
F. D. Roosevelt
Eisenhower
9. The reason Thanksgiving was moved up a
week was...
To fullfil a political promise
To ward off evil spirits
Due to public pressure
To lengthen the Christmas shopping season
10. Canada
celebrates Thanksgiving on...
(The answer is not in the narrative.)
2nd Monday in October
2nd Thursday in November
3rd Thursday in November
May 1
Thanksgiving Essays
Thanksgiving Ideas
for Children
Thanksgiving Poems
Thanksgiving
Proclamations
Thanksgiving Quotes
Thanksgiving Recipes
Thanksgiving Riddles
How to Capture
Thanksgiving With Your Camera
The Courtship of
Miles Standish
Feast Facts
Macy's Thanksgiving
Parade
Mayflower Myths
Mayflower Passenger
List
Plymouth: Its
History and Its People
This page
was last updated November 26, 2008.
|