History Essay

            Have you ever thought that maybe the holidays that we celebrate today are not what they have always been in years past? Thanksgiving is a holiday that has always seemed to be about being able to see your family and socialize with those that you never really see. Everything that I have thought that I knew about Thanksgiving is not really the complete story of how Thanksgiving came about and was thought of in the past. Thanksgiving has not always been the holiday that we know and love today.

            Many people throughout the country are oblivious to what Thanksgiving is really about. Although, this cannot be completely blamed on the average citizen because there are many possible sources of error that infect the public with these ideas. From high school textbooks, animated TV shows and movies, and even children’s books these ideas are relayed throughout many generations of kids and adults. The foods are also not exactly the same today as they once were in the original Thanksgiving Feast, this can be put on the shoulders of the advertisers that pushed for these marketing ideas to families. The fight between different brands and companies to market their product for Thanksgiving is known as “brand wars.” Many people associate turkey and cranberry sauce with Thanksgiving today, both turkey and cranberry sauce may not have even been set at the table for that first Thanksgiving. Turkey was pushed hard in the 1920’s because there were so many things that came with turkey such as roasters, thermometers, and ranges in order to correctly cook the turkey for the family. Historically, what we think of as Thanksgiving today is far from how Thanksgiving was thought of in the past.

            Many people are unfamiliar on how and why Thanksgiving was instituted as a national holiday. It all started with the “Mother of Thanksgiving” also known as Sarah Hale. Hale started off as a poet and writer, writing tunes such as “Mary had a little lamb.” Hale was also a powerful influencer in the push for women’s education and fight for equal rights. Hale grew up celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday with her family and friends. Hale soon began to fight for Thanksgiving becoming a national holiday. Hale believed that if she could get it to pass then the tension would soon ease between the North and South with this new holiday. She also believed that the making of this holiday would give something for both sides to fight for and bring the country back together. Eventually, Hale got her way and President Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a holiday in 1863 soon after some victories in the Civil War.

            How most people view Thanksgiving came about is not entirely historically accurate. Many believe the pilgrims came to America in search of freedom, but this is not true because there was freedom available in Holland. Sadly, the tale is reversed in that the pilgrims actually came in search for money and riches. The pilgrims were actually not originally named “pilgrims” they were called separatists. The natives were not originally invited to the first feast, and it is still unknown why they were present on the day of the feast. It is not certain if turkey was served at that first meal but we know for sure that deer meat was a large part of the feast. Around 90 natives attended, this was double the number of pilgrims that were in attendance. Unfortunately, the feast was not as happy as we believed it to end because it ended in chaos, capturing, and death for the Indians, even Squanto who helped and aided the pilgrims upon their arrival.

            Thanksgiving has not always been the holiday that we know and love today. The first feast ended in chaos, brutality, violence, and even leaving some Indians as prisoners of the pilgrims. Many people are unfamiliar with how Thanksgiving truly began which I feel should be changed and retaught to those who truly don’t know the real story of Thanksgiving The evolution of Thanksgiving has been exciting and new, I would love to see the story of Thanksgiving evolve into the real and true story that I now know even if it sacrifices some of the glamour and serenity that we see America as today.

NYTs: Everything You Learned About Thanksgiving is Wrong
History.com:  Abraham Lincoln and the "Mother of Thanksgiving"
Smithsonian:  The Invisible Way That Marketers Set the Menu for Your Thanksgiving FeastNPR.org: "Masking Memories" Thanksgiving in disguise

This is a vintage ad for Cranberry juice/sauce.