PreviousThe History of Thanksgiving
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Tracing the history of Thanksgiving in the United States is rather like following the course and development of the country itself. In fact, despite what has been written and said about the "First Thanksgiving," this national holiday actually has very humble origins.
Nearly four hundred years ago, in 1621, the English colonists that had settled in Plymouth, in what would become the colony of Massachusetts, came together with the Wampanoag Indians to share an autumnal harvest celebration. Most historians have come to consider this event as the so-called "First Thanksgiving."
Innumerable myths and legends surround this harvest gathering. For example, most depictions of this celebration from centuries ago include primly dressed pilgrims seated around a magnificent table overflowing with the bounty of the harvest. And, that bounty normally is shown to include such items as roasted turkey and cornicopias of plenty. In fact, such mythical images of this first-ever celebration of the harvest in the American colonies is far from the reality.
There actually is some controversy over what the early pilgrims ate in their harvest celebrations. However, with that said, turkey -- the staple of Thanksgiving today in the U.S. -- definitely was not on the menu. Rather, the meal itself likely was heavy in meats, including venison and wild fowl. Vegetables likely were rather scarce and perhaps were served sparingly during the meal.
Unlike the 21st century Thanksgiving celebration, the harvest feast of the 17th century probably was devoid of sweets. There were no pies or cakes. While it is true that the pilgrims enjoyed desserts, there likely was very little if any sugar available to them by 1621. The pilgrims brought sugar over with them from England. However, by the time of the first harvest celebration, the supply probably dwindled to nearly nothing.
Most people assume that the food enjoyed by the pilgrims likely was bland, tasteless. (Many folks today consider contemporary English fare to be lacking spice or punch.) Surprisingly in the eyes (and mouths) of many people, the food prepared by the pilgrims actually was spicy. Indeed, the spice trade amongst the British Empire of the day was boutiful.
One of the myths associated with the first harvest feast, with the First Thanksgiving, is that the Wampanoag Indians brought unusual and exotic foods. In fact, the Indians dined on essentially the same types of dished that were eaten by the settlers from England.
The harvest meal in 1621 likely occurred at noon and was called either "noonmeal" or "dinner." The noon meal was the largest meal of the day for the pilgrims.
Moreover, the belief that has been passed down through the years that the First Thanksgiving was a religious event was false. The First Thanksgiving was not religious in its foundation. Rather, it was a lively celebration in honor of what was considered a pretty decent autumn harvest. It was a party and not a prayer session.
While most historians consider the first Thanksgiving to be celebrated in North America to the autumn feast of 1621, it was not to be repeated any time soon. The pilgrims fell upon hard times ... they really felt they had no reason to celebrate. Death and disease actually became widespread in Plymouth -- both for the pilgrims and for the Wampanoag Indians.
In fact, a significant percentage of the Wampanoag population was devastated by disease that was brought to the New World by the colonists following the joint Thanksgiving celebration. Some estimate that upwards to 90% of the entire Wampanoag nation died because of diseases that were spread by the colonists. There never was a joint pilgrim-Wampanoag Thanksgiving celebration after 1621.
Additionally, there are some historians who maintain that the first Thanksgiving like celebration actually took place far, far away from the Plymouth Plantation colony. Some would argue that the first Thanksgiving event actually took place some twenty years earlier, in 1598. At this time, in the small community of San Elizario which is located near the modern day El Paso in Texas, the settlers there conducted a celebration of thanksgiving. This event was to commemorate the arrival of Spanish explorer Juan de Onate at the Rio Grande River. The story goes that de Onate held the first feast of thanksgiving in 1598 to celebrate the end of a horrific trek of nearly 400 miles across the brutal Mexican desert.
Additionally, the Berkely Plantation in what today is Virginia may actually have staged the first ever English version of a celebration of thanksgiving in the New World a couple of years before the pilgrim's event. 38 English colonists were said to have celebrated a feast of Thanksgiving in 1619, an event that actually gained official recognition by President John Kennedy the month he died in 1963.
The next significant event in the historical development of Thanksgiving in the United States occurred nearly a decade later in 1630. By this time, the makeup of the American colonies became a bit more diverse. Therefore, there were people on the continent who had celebrated the harvest in different fashions and in different manners. What became known as the first Thanksgiving of the Massachusetts Bay Colony was held on July 8, 1630.
For over 100 years, the Thanksgiving celebrations in colonial America were held in the heart of the summer. As a result, the menu changed somewhat. More fruits and vegetables were included in the feast. In addition, with the sugar supply established to the American colonies, sweets and desserts became an intregral part of the celebratory event.
In 1776, the colonies declared their independence from the British Empire and King George III. A year later, in a cold, stormy and bleak winter of 1777, General George Washington stopped the march of his troops to Valley Forge to celebrate Thanksgiving. Indeed, men and women throughout the colonies did the same. As an aside, the turkey was not widely featured on the tables of any people giving thanks during this period. Indeed, Benjamin Franklin was intent on making the turkey the national bird at that juncture ... an idea, that if approved, would have taken turkeys off the table for generations to come.
Twelve years later, when George Washington was inaugurated as the first President of the United States, he immediately designated November 26, 1789, as being a national day of prayer and thanksgiving.
For the course of about 25, the President issued an annual proclamation, setting aside a day in November for prayer and thanksgiving. All of this came to an end during the early part of the 19th century when the tradition ceased.
Not until the United States was facing the prospect of war once again -- this time in the form of the Civil War -- was there a presidential proclamation pertaining to a day of prayer and thanksgiving. It was President Abraham Lincoln that resumed the tradition started by George Washington during his first inaugural address. In 1863, the tradition of the President issuing a proclamation for an annual day of prayer and thanksgiving was revived and carried forth until the Presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt.
During the Administration of President Roosevelt, Thanksgiving became a recognized holiday when he signed into law a bill designating the fourth Thursday of November each year as Thanksgiving Day. The legislation took effect for the first time on November 26, 1941 (oddly, again at a juncture when the nation was on the brink of war ... this time, World War II).
By the time the Congress and President Roosevelt created the national holiday of Thanksgiving, the dining traditions that continue in most places across the United States today were well in place. Much to the chagrin of Benjamin Franklin, the turkey did not become the national bird. Rather, turkey became the centerpiece at Thanksgiving Day feasts.
More often than not, the now famous Thanksgiving bird was roasted. However, there have been regional variations. For example, the hearty Cajuns of the Louisiana bayou deep fat fried entire turkeys in a bubbling cauldron.
When all is said and done, Thanksgiving has a long and sometimes troubled history. However, through it all, the holiday reminds us all that even in adversity time can and should be made to give thanks for even the smaller things in day to day life than have so much value in and of themselves. Author: Mike Broemmel :: Hits: 0 :: Added: Fri Nov 10 2006 :: Last Modified: Wed Apr 25 2007
