Brief History of Thanksgiving

The tradition of the Pilgrims' first Thanksgiving is steeped in myth and legend. Few people realize that the Pilgrims did not celebrate Thanksgiving the next year, or any year thereafter, though some of their descendants later made a "Forefather's Day" that usually occurred on December 21 or 22. Several Presidents, including George Washington, made one-time Thanksgiving holidays. In 1827, Mrs. Sarah Josepha Hale began lobbying several Presidents for the creation of Thanksgiving as a national holiday, but her lobbying was unsuccessful until 1863 when Abraham Lincoln finally made it a national holiday.

Today, our Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday of November. This was set by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939 (approved by Congress in 1941), who changed it from Abraham Lincoln's designation as the last Thursday in November (which could occasionally end up being the fifth Thursday, and hence too close to Christmas for businesses). But the Pilgrims' first Thanksgiving began at some unknown date between September 21 and November 9, most likely in very early October. The date of Thanksgiving was probably set by Lincoln to somewhat correlate with the anchoring of the Mayflower at Cape Cod, which occurred on November 21, 1620 (by our modern Gregorian calendar--it was November 11 to the Pilgrims who used the Julian calendar).

What we’ve all been taught is a part of the history: The Pilgrims came, they almost starved, the Indians taught them how to survive, and they had a big feast. All true. But it’s the tip of the iceberg.

The Puritans were being persecuted in Britain by the Church of England. They decided to get out. They first went to the Netherlands. After several years there, they decided to go to the New World for religious liberty.

They found some sponsors for their journey, who made William Bradford, their leader, sign a contract. It provided that every Pilgrim would get one share in a common store and they would all work for the community. (They would own nothing and be happy.)

They arrived at Plymouth Rock in 1620. Between the journey and that harsh first winter, about 44 of the original 100 settlers died. Including Governor Bradford’s wife.

The Native Americans taught them how to plant corn and fish, but according to Governor Bradford’s notes, even the most industrious didn’t work very hard at it. After all, why work so hard when you’re only going to get the same amount as the ones who don’t? Why expend all that effort for other people’s families when they’re not willing to expend the effort for themselves? So Governor Bradford changed the system.

Bradford assigned each family a plot of land and told them to work it as they saw fit, and they could keep the proceeds or trade it or sell it or give it away, if they chose. (Does this sound familiar?)

Well, they thrived. They produced an abundance of food and goods. Probably more than they could figure out what to do with. In gratitude to God, they had a big community feast to use and share all they had produced, and they invited the Indigenous to thank them for their help (and as a gesture of friendship.)

The original system in which everyone worked for the collective failed. It almost starved them to death. The new system, which incentivized producing as much as you wanted, produced an abundance they had to share.

Accordingly, one of the things I am grateful for today is Governor Bradford’s decision to abandon the failing collectivism of the original Compact and adopt a system based on incentive, which gave rise to an abundance we still enjoy.

I grew up 20 miles North of Plymouth. My sister did our genealogy and we have 12 lines back to the Pilgrims via marriages. The male/surname line goes back to a ship that showed up the what’s now Boston in 1630 and his sons and grandsons married pilgrim daughters, granddaughters.

Even up there, we were taught a simplistic story but they taught that stuff in elementary school. I did research when I found out about our genealogy. The Pilgrims actually stole a food cache that they found to help get them by that Winter. They ended up getting along with the Indians fairly well until the chief died and his son, who didn’t like the white man took over.

101 set sail, 1 died and 1 was born on the trip. Part of what killed half that Winter was the close quarters. That ship wasn’t very big. I’ve been in it(the replica). Ailments will spread and fester in those conditions.

The names they gave their children for the next generation or two were interesting. Freedom, Providence, Liberty etc.

They called themselves Separatists and wore colorful clothing. The real Puritans were the ones that wore all black and burned witches in Salem imho. They came later and had stricter views. Historically, any group who separated from the King’s(or queen’s) church is considered a Separatist now.

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