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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. |
