The
Pilgrims who sailed to America were originally members of the English
Separatist Church. Before going to America they had fled to Holland to
escape religious persecution. Although, in Holland, they enjoyed more
religious tolerance, but they eventually became disillusioned with the
Dutch way of life. In the hope of a better life in, they took the help
of a London stock company to move out to America. Most of those making
this trip aboard the Mayflower were non-Separatists. Only about
one-third of the original colonists were Separatists.
They reached Plymouth in 1620. There, they had to face a terrible
winter. Around 46 of the original 102 had died by the next fall. But
fortune turned in their favor and the harvest of the next year was
bumper. 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.
