history of thanksgiving

history of thanksgiving

The Evolution and Significance of Thanksgiving: A Historical Perspective

1. Introduction to Thanksgiving

All historical studies are situated between what is known and what is unknown. The challenge posed to careful scholars is to lead readers from what is already known to what is potential. This is a story, or a brief outline, of the manner in which English customs of thanksgiving have evolved onto American soil to celebrate Thanksgiving. The narrative goes beyond personalities to provide a history of a traditional Anglo-American custom. The term “Thanksgiving” is used primarily throughout this study to designate the monotheistic Christian observance of gratitude to identify when persons of Anglo-American stock gave thanks for divine favor. I do not refer to anyone who is stressed culturally or theologically as a humanist contemplative. A person who gives thanks to a non-Christian ethic of thanksgiving stemming from words or deeds of religious sublimation is indeed an appropriate nominee.

2. The Origins of Thanksgiving in North America

The idea of commemorating a harvest is ancient. For many thousands of years, people in many cultures have revered the time in the agricultural cycle when the harvest was brought in. Both Native Americans and Europeans in North America had been aware of being thankful before the particular event in early 1623 attended by the English Dissenters at Plymouth. Publications of settlements in Maine, and the War with the Pequots and its aftermath mention several events. Plimoth and the other colonies during King Philip, Connecticut had celebrated thanksgivings. They did not become annual gatherings until the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century, and some of these were not held in November and some were at different times of the year. Some also were created for special needs such as generational celebrations and global war conflicts. In the colonial period, many were joyous events and were celebrated by communities with pomp and boisterous activities, not by quiet prayers and fasting as previously necessary for a day of thanksgiving.

Two colonists named Edward Winslow and William Bradford provide much of what we know of the first Thanksgiving formal event. Winslow wrote to England in 1621 that the colonists had beaten their many sufferings and had so much to be thankful for that they must celebrate it. Bradford’s history of Plymouth Plantation describes the events of the years 1620-1622. He states in this account that the colonists suffered terribly. At first, in despair, they gave up and prepared to go back to England. The government of the colony, led by William Bradford, called for a fast in the hope that they might be able to assemble the strength to make the return voyage. In the spring, they decided to send scouts to look for a better place and with these reports, to explore the area and find better places. Coincidentally, upon his return to Plymouth with this information, on 9 Nov. 1621, a supply ship came in, cheered everyone on, and offered support. Because of this ship, the Pilgrims decided instead to hold a celebration of Thanksgiving.

3. Thanksgiving Traditions and Celebrations Through the Centuries

The Thanksgiving holiday as we know it has been shaped more by the benevolent acts of a young lady from New Hampshire than any one individual. It was on the fourth Thursday in November of 1863 that President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation asking for thanksgiving on that date by all citizens of the United States. It seems that young Sarah Josepha Hale, author of many popular novels and poems, and editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book for forty years, tirelessly worked to have the holiday formalized. In reality, for thirty-two years she bombarded Congress and succeeded in having every president from Monroe to Lincoln declare a national day of Thanksgiving. It was President Lincoln, however, who finally made it official. She also initiated the custom of preparing “left-overs” in the form of small care packages, which she called “Thanksgiving baskets,” to distribute to the poor during the holiday.

Several traditions and practices have long been used to celebrate and commemorate the Thanksgiving holiday. Many of these traditions originated during the early Puritan observances that characterized the country’s first Thanksgivings, with new ones being added over the years. While the details of how and when the first Thanksgiving was held have lost their crispness, the enthusiasm and warmth of the Puritan colonists in setting aside time to acknowledge their blessings are genuine in the extreme. All groups thus far mentioned celebrated it as a religious event in one form or another. However, each had community-enhancing overtones. Each community came together as a group, but stood before God as individuals. And, while doing so, they were mindful of those less fortunate. In fact, over the years, the religious fire behind the day has never dimmed, and many present-day cases combine church services with a bountifully rich feast or community dinner.

4. Thanksgiving in American Culture and Society

Despite the social, economic, and sporting aspects of the holiday—a number of important football contests are traditional Thanksgiving Day events—the holiday has an important religious aspect to many people. Frequently, official Thanksgiving Day proclamations issued by the President of the United States, or by the governors of individual states, make clear the links between Thanksgiving and religious concepts, particularly for persons who try, in religious terms, to find a providential reason for all things. The traditional observance involves attendance, when people are actually at home, at religious services on Thanksgiving Day, or at some time during the Thanksgiving Day weekend. Clearly, Thanksgiving has significance for a large number of people in the United States. Since it is a public observance, an understanding of the significance of Thanksgiving can help all persons understand themselves, their neighbors, and the society in which they all actively participate.

Because of its location in the American calendar, Thanksgiving usually serves as the gateway holiday, opening the festive season that culminates with New Year’s Day. Some 90 percent of adult Americans observe the holiday by a substantial and often communal meal, the main item of which is usually a roast turkey. Over 40 million of these splendid birds are consumed in the United States at this time of year, and these, along with the other items on the holiday bill of fare, add up to one of the largest single-day expenditures of money and effort in any society at any time of the year. Much of the citizenry of the United States (the proportion varies with geographic location) observes the fourth Thursday of November, the official time of Thanksgiving, as a legal holiday. This means that banks, businesses, schools, and many other public and private institutions are closed for the day, permitting a substantial proportion of the citizenry to have a day of rest. This also means, for many businesses, one of the busiest weekends of the year. Rental and retail sales surpass almost all other times in the year.

5. The Global Impact and Contemporary Relevance of Thanksgiving

The most important fact about Thanksgiving is that it preserves its integrity as the fait accompli of the American Republic. Hard American work has provided the foundation for this kind of year-long symbol. The global impact and contemporary relevance of Thanksgiving is not, however, easily minimized.

The practice of Thanksgiving has not been confined to the United States, nor has it been limited to the peoples of the United States, and its customs are not homogeneous in any one state or within a specific ethnic group. Foreigners often attribute the economic achievements of our country to the holiday and have used its Indian symbolism to their advantage.

Each event that served as the basis for Thanksgiving dated from the Old Testament, and each event took place during a historical period. Thanksgiving remains rooted in history. U.S. citizens, under the United States of America’s Constitution, by virtue of and in accordance with laws enacted pursuant to its provisions, celebrate a national holiday on the fourth Thursday in November.

Since the concept of Thanksgiving evolved from specific historical occurrences and had its genesis in Judaism and Christianity, it is logical that not all readers will regard it with the same reverence. Many readers in contemporary times face non-religious or different forms of worship from that which, in respect to the still prevailing, many enjoined Thanksgiving.