In September 1620, a small ship called the Mayflower left Plymouth, England, carrying 102 passengers—an assortment of religious separatists seeking a new home where they could freely practice their faith and other individuals lured by the promise of prosperity and land ownership in the New World.
After a treacherous and uncomfortable crossing that lasted 66 days, they dropped anchor near the tip of Cape Cod, far north of their intended destination at the mouth of the Hudson River.
One month later, the Mayflower crossed Massachusetts Bay, where the Pilgrims, as they are now commonly known, began the work of establishing a village at Plymouth.
Throughout that first brutal winter, most of the colonists remained on board the ship, where they suffered from exposure, scurvy and outbreaks of contagious disease.
Only half of the Mayflower’s original passengers and crew lived to see their first New England spring.
In March, the remaining settlers moved ashore, where they received an astonishing visit from an Abenaki Indian who greeted them in English.
Several days later, he returned with another Native American, Squanto, a member of the Pawtuxet tribe who had been kidnapped by an English sea captain and sold into slavery before escaping to London and returning to his homeland on an exploratory expedition.
Squanto taught the Pilgrims, weakened by malnutrition and illness, how to grow corn, take sap from maple trees, catch fish in the rivers and avoid poisonous plants.
He also helped the settlers forge an alliance with the Wampanoag, (whahmp-uh-nog) a local tribe.
In November 1621, after the Pilgrims’ first corn harvest proved successful, Governor William Bradford organized a celebratory feast and invited a group of the colony’s Native American allies, including the Wampanoag (whahmp-uh-nog) chief Massasoit (mass-a-so-it).
Now remembered as American’s “first Thanksgiving”—although the Pilgrims themselves may not have used the term at the time—the festival lasted for three days.
While no record exists of the historic banquet’s exact menu, the Pilgrim settler Edward Winslow wrote in his journal that Governor Bradford sent four men on a “fowling” mission in preparation for the event, and that the Wampanoag guests arrived bearing five deer.
Historians have suggested that many of the dishes were likely prepared using traditional Native American spices and cooking methods. Because the Pilgrims had no oven and the Mayflower’s sugar supply had dwindled by the fall of 1621, the meal did not feature pies, cakes or other desserts, which have become a standard of current celebrations.
Pilgrims held their second Thanksgiving celebration in 1623 to mark the end of a long drought that had threatened the year’s harvest and prompted Governor Bradford to call for a religious fast. Days of fasting and thanksgiving on an annual or occasional basis became common practice in other New England settlements as well.
During the American Revolution, the Continental Congress designated one or more days of thanksgiving a year, and in 1789 George Washington issued the first Thanksgiving proclamation by the national government of the United States; in it, he called upon Americans to express their gratitude for the happy conclusion to the country’s war of independence and the successful ratification of the U.S. Constitution.
His successors John Adams and James Madison also designated days of thanks during their presidencies.
In 1817, New York became the first of several states to officially adopt an annual Thanksgiving holiday; each celebrated it on a different day.
In 1827, the noted magazine editor and prolific writer Sarah Josepha Hale launched a campaign to establish Thanksgiving as a national holiday.
For 36 years, she published numerous editorials and sent scores of letters to governors, senators, presidents and other politicians. Abraham Lincoln finally heeded her request in 1863, at the height of the Civil War, in a proclamation calling on all Americans to ask God to “commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife” and to “heal the wounds of the nation.”
He scheduled Thanksgiving for the final Thursday in November, and it was celebrated on that day every year until 1939, when Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the holiday up a week in an attempt to spur retail sales during the Great Depression.
Roosevelt’s plan, known derisively as Franksgiving, was met with passionate opposition, and in 1941 the president reluctantly signed a bill making Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday in November.
So who was this Sarah Josepha Hale also known as the “Mother of Thanksgiving?
Sarah Josepha Hale was born on October 24th, 1788 in Newport, New Hampshire.
Her parents were strong advocates for education of both sexes. Therefore, Hale was taught well beyond the normal age for a woman.
Later, she married a lawyer David Hale, who supported her in all of her scholarly endeavors. Sadly, her husband died after only nine years of marriage, leaving Hale a widow with five children.
She turned to poetry as a form of income. Her most famous book, titled Poems for Our Children included a beloved story from her childhood and “Mary Had a Little Lamb” was instantly a popular nursery rhyme.
In 1837, she became the editor of the Godey’s Lady’s Book. Her work with the magazine made her one of the most influential voices in the 19th century.
Her columns covered everything from women’s education to child rearing. She also used her platform to support other causes, including abolishing slavery and, later, colonization (freeing African Americans and sending them to Africa).
Under her leadership, the publication popularized white wedding dresses and Christmas trees, trends often credited to Britain’s Queen Victoria.
In the magazine’s pages, Hale swore by the wrinkle-busting power of applying brown butcher paper soaked in apple vinegar to the forehead and described pigeons as “about the only bird in New England worth cooking.”
She was also characterized as “a crusader urging the admission of women to the practice of medicine, more thorough female education, and foreign missions”.
She was annoyed by the menial position of pre-Civil War women and proceeded to create and use the term ‘domestic science’. She even helped finance the all-female Vassar College, founded in 1861.
While working as editor of the magazine, she also raised money for various historic sites. She helped to preserve George Washington’s home and financially supported the construction of the Bunker Hill Monument.
Hale has been criticized heavily for her support of gender roles. As an editor, she encouraged women to focus their efforts in the domestic realm.
A proper woman, to Hale, a woman’s job was not only to manage the home but to also to teach religion to her children.
Godey’s Lady Book was widely known for its conservative views for much of the 19th century.
Interestingly, Hale did not support the women’s suffrage movement because she believed that women’s participation in politics would limit their influence in the home.
However, Hale did use the magazine to push for the education of women and the rights of women as property owners.
Hale used her writings to support the creation of Thanksgiving as a national holiday.
Beginning in 1846, she lobbied the president and other leading politicians to push for the national celebration of Thanksgiving, which was then only celebrated in the Northeast.
Her requests for recognition were largely ignored by politicians until 1863.
As I stated earlier, while the nation was in the middle of the Civil War, President Lincoln signed into action “A National Day of Thanksgiving and Praise.”
Hale’s letter to Lincoln is often cited as the main factor in his decision. She also launched a letter-writing campaign to members of Congress, governors and Presidents.
President Zachary Taylor said around 1849 that it was up to the states to decide when and whether to declare a Thanksgiving holiday; in that period, such a holiday was often celebrated anywhere from September to December, depending on the place.
Some politicians thought the “day of public thanksgiving and prayer” declared by George Washington in 1789 violated the separation of church and state.
But, in a Sept. 28, 1863 letter to Lincoln, Hale argued the other side. She made the case that a “National and fixed Union Festival” should occur on the last Thursday of November, annually, because the last Thursday of November was when George Washington had declared the first national Thanksgiving in 1789.
On Oct. 3, Lincoln issued the proclamation designating “the last Thursday of November” as a day of Thanksgiving, arguing in several newspaper editorials that, “in the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, the American people should take some time for gratitude.”
Next, Hale turned her efforts to making Thanksgiving a law of the land through an act of Congress—but she passed away in 1879 at the age of 91.
It would be more than 60 years until President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a joint resolution, passed by Congress, which took into account years when there are five Thursdays in November and declared the fourth Thursday of the month a Federal Thanksgiving Day holiday.
So let’s look at some interesting facts about Thanksgiving:
While president, Thomas Jefferson refused to declare Thanksgiving as a holiday.
Presidents originally had to declare it a holiday every year. History says Jefferson refused because he strongly believed in the separation of church and state. Since Thanksgiving involved prayer, he thought making it a National holiday violated the US Constitution.
About 46 million turkeys are cooked for Thanksgiving each year.
And on Christmas, 22 million families host an encore with another turkey.
But not everyone eats turkey on Thanksgiving.
According to the National Turkey Federation, only 88% of Americans chow down on turkey. Which begs the question, what interesting dishes are the other 12% cooking up?
Most Americans like Thanksgiving leftovers more than the actual meal.
Almost eight in 10 agree that the second helpings of stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pie beat out the big dinner itself, according to a 2015 Harris Poll.
The Butterball Turkey Talk Line answers almost 100,000 calls each season.
In 2016, the company’s popular cooking crisis management team also introduced a 24-hour text message line for the lead-up into the big day.
An estimated 50 million pumpkin pies are eaten on Thanksgiving.
But according to The American Pie Council, more Americans prefer apple pie overall — pumpkin only comes in second place.
32 million people begin Black Friday shopping on Thanksgiving.
Even though many consumers think stores shouldn’t be open on Thanksgiving, a good chunk of us still plan to shop on the holiday, according to the National Retail Federation. Black Friday draws the biggest crowd of the entire weekend though with 115 million people.
Finally, and I love this one,
Black Friday is the busiest day of the year for plumbers.
Thanks to all that food we gobble up on Thanksgiving, Roto-Rooter reports that kitchen drains, garbage disposals, and yes, toilets, require more attention the day after Thanksgiving than any other day of the year.
So in closing, I would like to tell you the things I am most thankful for:
First and foremost, I am thankful that my wife, who has stage 4 cancer, is here to celebrate Thanksgiving with me.
Second, I am thankful for my family and friends.
Third, I am thankful to live in the greatest country in the world where everyone has opportunity, freedom, and the right to pursue their goals.
Others?
I’m thankful for those that serve this great nation especially our service men and women, law enforcement, and firefighters.
Finally, I am thankful to KRMS for continuing to give me the opportunity broadcast my thoughts on a weekly basis to all of you, my listeners, the best radio audience in the nation!
So there is my list gang. How about you?