Was the First Thanksgiving Truly a Miracle? Or Merely an Accident?

The story of the first Thanksgiving is well known, but were the events surrounding it accident or design? Here, Victor Gamma considers some of the miraculous – or coincidental - events related to the first Thanksgiving in America.

You can also read Victor’s first article for the site on how the source of the River Nile was found here.

The First Thanksgiving, 1621. A 1910s painting by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris

William Bradford reflected the unwavering heart of a Separatist when he said; "... I am not only willing to part with everything that is dear to me in this world for this Cause but I am thankful that God hath given me heart so to do; and will accept me so to suffer for Him."

For those Separatists we have come to know as "Pilgrims" such determination was combined with an unusual commitment to be fair and honest with the Native inhabitants of the new country they had settled in. In the first treaty agreement between the Plymouth Pilgrims and the Wampanoags (which lasted over 50 years), the Pilgrims agreed that if anything had been taken, it must be returned. Additionally, the Pilgrims would help the Wampanoags defend themselves if they were attacked, and the Wampanoags would likewise help the Pilgrims. Later, William Bradford, who by this time had become governor of the colony, sent word to his friend, Chief Massasoit (the leader of the Wampanoags), to; "search out those, from whom we took their corn, that we may restore the same to them in full measure."

Is it any wonder that the Pilgrims, although a relatively small group with little impact on the subsequent history of this country, have continually held a special place in the heart of Americans? Is it also any wonder that a people who dedicated themselves so seriously to their vision of God might be worthy, if anyone ever was, to receive special aid and comfort from their God? Here we come to the "Miracle of the First Thanksgiving:" that series of improbable events that can leave the reader scratching his head in wonder, for indeed, the Pilgrim sometimes sounds more like something out of fiction than reality.

It would be well to begin by asking what a verifiable miracle is. In technical verbiage a miracle is an event attributed to divine intervention. Sometimes it involves a perceptible interruption of the laws of nature. An event or series of events for which the best explanation is attribute them to a supernatural being, and cite this as evidence for the existence of a god or gods. Does the Pilgrim saga fit the bill? Or was it merely a succession of fortunate accidents? It is up to the individual, of course, as to which offers the best explanation. 

A Series of "Miraculous" Events

Many of the Separatists’ problems were simply due to poor planning. They had very little of the kinds of skills they would need to survive in the wilderness. Yet, time and again, when the odds were against them, they somehow managed to pull through. The pre-Atlantic crossing period of Pilgrim history is itself not lacking in amazing coincidences. During their voyage across the North Sea to Holland a violent storm rocked their ship, they cried out to God “Yet Lord, Thou canst save!” and the storm calmed down. But it is with journey to the New World that the record becomes crowded with marvels. Halfway through their trans-Atlantic crossing, the mainmast cracked. Someone remembered that there was a giant screw which the Pilgrims had brought with them. This was probably a part of a printing press. In any case, they were able to use it to repair the mainmast. If they had not been able to repair it, a return to England or an even worse peril in the storm-ridden Atlantic awaited them. Coincidence?The only other person who died on the voyage, was a crewmember who kept threatening to molest and murder many of the Separatists. When the man died, the Pilgrims interpreted his death as God's providential hand of deliverance. Even the sea-salted crew of the ship was amazed by the antagonist's death. Whether because of superstition, or true piety, the crew believed that God had repaid the man for his wickedness. In addition to making the trip miserable, the storm also accomplished another unforeseen but momentous incident. They were blown off course to Massachusetts. Because of this, and the threat of mutiny among some of the ‘strangers’, they would have to govern themselves. They decided to draw up an instrument of government called the Mayflower Compact, a critical document in the development of American democracy. If they had not been blown off course, they would have been under the authority of others, and there would have been no Mayflower Compact.  

Another happy result of the storms was the location of their arrival. They arrived at Cape Cod, whose protected inlet provided some relief from the Atlantic storms. Once on the wooded shore, they began exploring the wilderness. On two separate expeditions, corn was found buried in mounds. Some of it was gathered and stored away to be used in the spring. The pilgrims considered finding the seed to be God's providence because winter was coming quickly and the Pilgrims had no seeds to plant the following spring. It is important to remember that they left the other ship behind with much needed provisions. As one of their chroniclers put it, "And thus we came ... weary ... and delivered in our corn into the store, to be kept for seed, for we knew not how to come by any, and therefore were very glad, purposing, so soon as we could meet with any inhabitants of that place, to make them large satisfaction [due repayment and more]. This was our first discovery ... And sure it was God's good providence that we found this corn, for else we know not how we should have done, ..." 

"A Spetial instrument sent of God"

With an unforgiving winter approaching, the Pilgrims still had not tackled the challenge of locating an agreeable spot to settle. With the vast majority of voyagers still aboard the Mayflower, the shallop was repaired and a small crew set out aboard her to find a good landing site. A storm whipped up in Cape Cod. They were just about to crash into a reef when a sailor shouted a warning. The wind and waves drove the shallop past the rocks to a broad, round harbor. The land was already cleared and cultivated for farming! It, in fact, was a deserted Native village which had belonged to the Patuxet tribe. The Patuxet's were a very hostile tribe that had lived in the area for generations but had been wiped out by disease recently. This was part of a devastating plague that visited the tribes of southeast New England in the decade before the arrival of the Pilgrims. The area the emigrants ultimately landed at was particularly hard hit. This is an amazing fact considering that the Patuxets were known for being violent, and were legendary for their bloody fierceness in battle. If the Patuxets had been there when the Pilgrims arrived, it is likely that there would have been an all out war, and the Pilgrims probably would not have survived. But now the fierce Patuxets were largely gone, with the notable exception of Squanto, who came into the Pilgrims’ lives soon after. 

The Pilgrims began building homes in the new settlement they named Plymouth. Winter set in upon them and there was little chance to build appropriate shelter. The storms were severe and with only rudimentary shelter, there was little protection from the elements. Many were already sick and not a few had already passed to their heavenly reward. The weather would be dangerous, for the Pilgrims were in a weakened state of malnutrition. The food supplies that were sparse to begin with ran out. Not only did the Pilgrims have to endure a harsh climate but also the prospect of starvation. At this point another "coincidence" took place. As they were just about to starve, a native walked into their village wanting to help them! As everyone watched in amazement, the man astonished the stupefied pilgrims by calling out "Welcome" in perfect English. His name was Samoset, a member of the Abenaki tribe. He later brought another native named ‘Squanto’ who also spoke fluent English. Samoset proceeded to teach the Pilgrims essential survival skills. Plymouth Governor William Bradford was moved to declare him a "spetiall instrument sent of God for [their] good." We could even say that the Pilgrims probably would not have survived without Squanto's help. 

                  From the time he was introduced to them, Squanto devoted his life to helping the newcomers survive. He taught them with great skill and patience. I think most of us are familiar with the story of how Squanto taught the pilgrims how to get maple syrup; which plants were poisonous, and which ones could be used for medicine. He instructed them how to plant corn using several seeds buried with a fish, and so forth. If Squanto had not helped, the harvest that came in that fall would have been unsuccessful and the Pilgrims would not have had enough food to store for the winter.With Squanto we come to another element of the Pilgrim saga that reads like a story out of fiction. He was kidnapped at the age of 12 from his Patuxet village by the Spanish in 1608 and one year later he was taken to Spain, where his friends were sold into slavery. Nearby Monks purchased his freedom and taught him Christianity. He convinced the friars to allow him to attempt to return home. He was then given to an Englishman and taken to London. Here he worked as a stable boy for a family called Slaney, and he was with them for five years until a trading ship going back to the coast of North America could be found. He returned home in 1619, about 6 months ahead of the Pilgrims, only to find his village wiped out by disease. Not long after, Squanto comes to the aid of starving English newcomers, who were living at the site of his former village. And it just so happened that he grew up on the spot where they had settled. This was his home that had been abandoned, and now he had, in a sense, come home. The newcomers from England basically adopted him. This made perfect sense since the forlorn Squanto had lost not his family but his entire tribe. The long list of 'ifs' grows longer. IfSquanto had not been kidnapped, he would have died along with his tribe and would not have been there to help the Pilgrims.Squanto also acted as an intermediary between the Pilgrims and the Massasoit, the Grand Sachem of the Wampanoag. In this way he helped to maintain the treaty of friendship the two signed.  Massasoit honored the treaty until his death in 1661.

In Conclusion

One further event occurred in the summer of 1623. Then, a seven-week drought threatened to kill the Pilgrims’ crops. The Pilgrims paused from work to pray for deliverance. The rain began to fall by suppertime. The current spirit of skepticism scoffs at the idea that a Divine Being had a hand in the survival of the Pilgrims, but contemporaries were matter-of-fact about attributing the Pilgrim success to divine intervention. The title page of Winslow’s book Good News from New Englanddescribes the experience of the early settlement as “shewing the wondrous providence and goodness of god, in their preservation and continuance, being delivered from many apparent deaths and dangers.” 

What do you think of the first Thanksgiving? Let us know below.

REFERENCES

Bradford, William, and Samuel E. Morison. Of Plymouth Plantation, 1620-1647. New York: Knopf, 1952. Print

Bradford, William, and Edward Winslow. Mourt's Relation; Or, Journal of the Plantation at Plymouth, 1622. New York: Garrett Press, 1969. Print.

Winslow, Edward, Good Newes from New England. 1624. Bedford, MA: Applewood Books, 1969/

The Year Thanksgiving Changed to a New Date: Franksgiving

Thanksgiving now occurs in America on the fourth Thursday of November – but it has not always been the case. Here, Mac Guffey looks at how President Franklin D. Roosevelt changed the date of Thanksgiving in 1939 – and the issues it caused.

You can read Mac’s first article on the site, A Brief History of Impeachment in the US, here.

Troops enjoying Thanksgiving after the end of World War I, November 1918.

November 1939: ‘The Great Turkey Issue’

In the summer of 1939, an executive order was whimsically issued by the President of the United States, while vacationing at his resort. It came at the request of one of his Cabinet members, and it was executed without any due diligence other than a request by the head of a national business association for the change. His irresponsible action caused an unprecedented uproar across the country for three years.

Sound familiar?

That ‘Executive Order’ happened eighty years ago; the President was Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the issue that caused the uproar was the date of Thanksgiving.  

Traditions

Since 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln signed the executive order (then known as proclamations) officially proclaiming the first Thanksgiving and stipulating the last Thursday in November as the date of its observance, it became a yearly tradition followed by every President of the United States to do the same (except President U.S. Grant in 1869, but that’s another story). [1]

Periodically however, Novembers have five Thursdays. In Lincoln’s time, no one cared. But by 1939, another holiday tradition had become a part of America’s yearly holiday traditions – the Christmas shopping season. And it officially kicked off the day after Thanksgiving.

As the Daily Republican (Monongahela, PA) explained:

“It is a tradition among business men that advertising and display of Christmas goods is withheld until after Thanksgiving, and since that holiday would have fallen this year on the latest possible date, there would have been only 20 Christmas shopping days.” [2]

Big Business

Since the American economy was finally picking up its pace after being dormant for so many years due to the Great Depression, and because a minor recession in 1937-38 scared many business owners, some retailers were naturally concerned that losing six days of the Christmas shopping season might have a detrimental effect on their businesses. 

Therefore, Lew Hahn the general manager of a retail groups and more than 5,000 storeowners - the National Retail Dry Goods Association– wrote a letter to Harry Hopkins, Secretary of Commerce for FDR, with a request: An earlier Thanksgiving would be “good for business”. [3]

Time Magazinewryly noted FDR’s August response to the delegation’s request in its August 21stissue:

“At his Campobello cottage, Franklin Roosevelt broke his umptieth precedent, and gave a headache to football fans and turkey-growers by moving Thanksgiving Day up this year from November 30 to November 23.” [4]

Roosevelt explained that his decision was at the requests of thousands of businessmen and merchants, and since there was nothing sacred about the customary date – and no Federal law governing it – he moved it up a week. He also announced that all future Thanksgivings, beginning in 1940, would be on the second Thursday of November. [2]

Here’s a key fact worth noting at this point: Since there was no Federal law regarding the date of Thanksgiving, any President’s Thanksgiving proclamation truly affected only the District of Columbia and any territories belonging to the United States. It was actually up to the governors of each state to decide when to celebrate that day in their state. Since 1863, the governors traditionally just echoed the President’s proclamation.

Until 1939.

America’s Split Reaction

FDR’s lack of economic “due diligence”, his political oversight, and his insensitivity to the American public’s reverence for its traditions all combined to make this issue a political bludgeon and a public relations nightmare for his administration!  

The political backlash was immediate. 

“Mayor C.D. White of Atlantic City, N.J. dubbed it ‘Franksgiving’…” The term went national (and historical, and it was seemingly misattributed). [5*]

Alf Landon - FDR’s 1936 G.O.P. presidential opponent - pointed out:

“If the change has any merit at all, more time should have been taken in working it out so as to assure wholehearted co-operation instead of springing it upon an unprepared country with the omnipotence of a Hitler.” [6]

Other Republican politicos insisted that such important changes should be resolved through a deliberate, bipartisan legislative process, and not by arbitrary, executive decisions. Many Democrats agreed. 

The governors of each state were forced to decide whether to follow Roosevelt’s proclamation or stick with the traditional fourth Thursday in November. The results were twenty-three states and D.C. followed FDR’s proclamation date of November 23rd, and twenty-three other states disagreed and kept the traditional date. Two states – Texas and Colorado - decided to honor BOTH days. [7]

The American public flooded the White House with letters and telegrams. One Brooklyn businessman immediately wrote to FDR regarding the President’s sweeping but unsubstantiated allegation that more shopping days benefitted merchants.

“The small storekeeper would prefer leaving Thanksgiving Day where it belongs. If the large department stores are overcrowded during the shorter shopping period before Christmas, the overflow will come, naturally, to the neighborhood store…We have waited many years for a late Thanksgiving to give us an advantage over the large stores, and we are sadly disappointed at your action in this ma tter[sic]…Kindly reconsider and oblige thousands of small retail storekeepers throughout this country.” [8]

Newspaper articles pointed out some of the glaring consequences of FDR’s hasty decision. One consequence was the $5,000,000 to $10,000,000 costs to the calendar business. In 1939, the ONLY calendars America had were printed ones, and they were used by every business, school, government office, and many individuals.

“It will be terrible” [Fredrick E. Baker, president of H.G. Brace Calendar Co.] said. “Better than 70 per cent of 1940 calendars have already been sold and about 50 per cent or $50,000,000 worth are already in production throughout the country. Most calendar makers begin production in January on the following year’s calendar.” [2]

Other articles detailed how America’s schools, both public and private, as well as both K-12 and universities were totally disrupted.  Like the calendar businesses, schools schedule everything in advance – school functions, vacations, and annual sports events. FDR's new date for Thanksgiving forced school boards, teaching staffs, athletic departments, and athletic conferences into emergency meetings to reconsider set schedules and decide whether and how to reschedule everything just prior to the start of the new school year.  Boston College decided to ignore it.

“Franksgiving was held yesterday but don’t let that worry you, our turkey stuffing day comes on the 30thwhen we get time from classes to stuff ourselves.” [9]

Besides all of that, many Americans were just plain angry that Roosevelt tried to alter such a long-standing tradition to help businesses make more money. A very sarcastic editorial, “Thanksgiving – A La FDR”, appeared in a small town weekly in upstate New York - ironically published ‘on Thursday of each week’.

“But why should the President stop with this slight change in the traditions of a nation? Why not extend his pet whimsies? We would suggest the following…Advance the observance of Thanksgiving Day to January first of each year, which, in accordance with presidential opinion, would give the public fifty-one solid weeks of Christmas shopping.” [10]

The uproar even found its way onto the Hollywood Big Screens with the 1940 Three Stooges short film No Census, No Feeling, and Irving Berlin’s 1942 filmHoliday Inn(Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, and Marjorie Reynolds).  [11]

George Gallup Takes a Poll

Because the 1940 Presidential primaries and election were just around the corner and FDR was planning an unprecedented third term run, was every American against the change or was this just a party issue? George Gallup decided to take a poll and find out. 

According to Dr. Gallup, Republicans disapproved of the plan by a margin of 79 percent to 21 percent. Even the Democrats weren’t happy, with 52 percent in favor and 48 percent opposed. “Dictatorship,” “whimsy” and “just upsetting everything he can” were among the most frequent negative responses given to the poll-administrators. [6]

Gallup’s summary:

“What John Smith, U.S.A., thinks about President Roosevelt's plan to change Thanksgiving Day pretty much depends on what John Smith thinks of President Roosevelt…Though President Roosevelt acted in response to the wishes of retail organizations who want the period of Christmas shopping extended, the survey shows that a majority of Americans - and particularly Republicans - are in favor of letting the nation's turkeys live a week longer.”[6]

Gallup also added this final - and rather sage - comment:

“No issue to make cabinets totter, the turkey day issue is, nevertheless, a prime example of the way Americans sometimes see questions through party-colored spectacles [glasses].” [6]

Leftovers

Three weeks after FDR’s Thanksgiving proclamation – at dawn on September 1,1939 – German troops stormed across the Polish frontier. WWII had begun, capturing much of the world’s attention. 

Despite the war and our struggle to remain neutral, the ‘Franksgiving’ or Thanksgivinginconvenience continued to be a distraction in America for two more years. By 1941, the business data indicated that FDR’s date-change had no significant effect on Christmas retail revenue. In fact, it actually affected revenue negatively in some places. So bowing to public opinion in the fall of 1941, President Roosevelt returned Thanksgiving 1942 to its traditional date.

But Congress decided to formally mandate that Thanksgiving be observed on the fourth Thursday in November to prevent any future problems. President Roosevelt signed the legislation on December 26thwithout fanfare. [13]

‘The Great Turkey issue’ was finally over.

The ViewNow

Although that was eighty years ago this month, the causes of 1939’s ‘Franksgiving’ fiasco are still around. Those very same forces that created that upheaval – insensitivity to the public, executive orders without bi-partisan cooperation and executive due diligence, the strong political and economic force of big business and retail sales, and special access to the Oval Office - are all the same forces causing our current political, economic, and social uproar. And, unfortunately, our ‘party-colored spectacles’ are still warping the view of our political system, and its proper limitations.

Two Turkey Days anyone?

This is the first of a new monthly feature. We will select one story that occurred during that month from history and take a fresh look at the story through modern eyes.

You can let us know what you thought of this article below.

References

[1] Roy P. Basler, et al.eds. (1953). The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, 9 vols. (New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press.) v.6: pp.497-498. Also, Ulysses S. Grant, Proclamation 186—Thanksgiving Day, 1869 Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project.Retrieved October 20, 2019 from https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/204624https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/proclamation-186-thanksgiving-day-1869

[2] “Roosevelt Advances Thanksgiving Day a Week; Business Pleased, But Grid Managers Aren’t”. The Daily Republican – Tuesday, August 15, 1939. Monongahela, PA.

[3] “Rebellion Grows Against Change in Thanksgiving Date by F.D.R.” Plattsburgh Daily Press – Wednesday, August 16, 1939. p.1.

[4] Time Magazine.(August 21, 1939: Vol. XXXIVNo. 8.). “The Presidency: Off the Floor” p.7.

[5] “Nation, Divided On The Date Of Thanksgiving, Thankful For Peace”. Plattsburgh [NY] Daily Press, Friday, November 24, 1939. p.1. [*] “Franksgiving’ is often misattributed to Thomas D. Taggart, Jr. The term appears in many newspapers during the fall of 1939. Taggart was a NJ state assemblyman AND a Democrat at the time. The Mayor of Atlantic City in 1939 was Charles D. White, a Republican. The term ‘Franksgiving’ was White’s portmanteau.

[6] Gallup, Dr. George. “News Release: August 25, 1939 - Public Sees Thanksgiving Issue Through Party Classes”. Gallup VaultRetrieved October 23, 2019 from https://news.gallup.com/vault/222494/gallup-vault-thanksgiving-sparked-partisan-storm-1939.aspx

[7] Waxman, Olivia. “The Real Reason Why Thanksgiving is Always on a Thursday”. Time.com – November 20, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2019 from https://time.com/5455162/thanksgiving-on-thursday/

[8] “Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Thanksgiving Proclamation.” Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. Retrieved October 23, 2019 from https://www.fdrlibrary.org/document-november

[9] Cullen, Art. “Tabloid”. The Boston College Heights – Volume XIX, Number 37, 24 November 1939. p.2. 

[10] Tefft, W.R. editor. “Thanksgiving  - A LA FDR”. Ticonderoga Sentinel - Thursday, August 24, 1939. p.2.

[11] Retrieved October 25, 2019 from The Three Stooges Website @ https://www.threestooges.com/1940/10/04/no-census-no-feeling/. Also, my parents told me the story behind Berlin’s Holiday Inngraphic the first time we watched Holiday Innon television back in the 1950s. Their personal stories were hilarious – (btw, they chose Thanks notFrank’s). The topic has intrigued me ever since. 

[12] “Abandons Early Thanksgiving: Roosevelt to Return to Old Date in November 1942”Hope[AK]Star – Tuesday, May 20, 1941. p. 1. Also,Jackson, Debbie and Pittman, Hilary. “Throwback Tulsa: Roosevelt created a ‘Franksgiving’ monster.”Tulsa World – November 16, 2017.Retrieved October 29, 2019 fromhttps://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/news/throwbacktulsa/throwback-tulsa-roosevelt-created-a-franksgiving-monster/article_9e6c3704-d31c-5c48-b79b-1a14a1a7f683.html

A Bird on Every Table: How Did Turkey Become the centerpiece of Thanksgiving?

There are a lot of things that might vary from table to table when it comes to Thanksgiving dinner. Some people prefer sweet potatoes to mashed potatoes. Others forgo the ubiquitous pumpkin pie in favor of pecan or cherry. However, there’s almost always one constant – that beautiful, golden brown, perfectly roasted turkey as the centerpiece. This is the case in regards to 88% of all American tables.

It only stands to reason that you’d have your questions as to “Why turkey?” – was turkey served at the first Thanksgiving? Even if it was, why is it so popular as to appear on nearly every menu no matter how much the other meal components might vary? Here we’ll explore everything you ever wanted to know about how turkey became the Thanksgiving superstar that it is.

Harry Parsons explains all.

The First Thanksgiving by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, early 20th century.

Was Turkey Served at the First Thanksgiving?

Most people simply assume that turkey is the staple that it is because it was served at the first Thanksgiving way back in 1621. However, while the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Native Americans most certainly did share a bountiful table in order to resolve their differences and celebrate the harvest, it’s not a given that they did it with turkey drumsticks in their hands.

According to Plimoth Plantation, most recorded accounts of the first Thanksgiving say absolutely nothing specific about a turkey being served. Most of them simply say that “fowl” was served, as well as various other proteins like wild venison. For instance, Englishman Edward Winslow had this to say:

“Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week.”

That said, we know that the very first Thanksgiving table probably featured poultry of some kind. We also know that wild turkeys were plentiful in the area, so they’re certainly a possibility. However, so were a multitude of other options, including geese, ducks, and swans. Even eagles, hawks, or cranes are a distinct possibility.

When and How Did Thanksgiving Dinner Become All About Turkey?

If the Pilgrims and Wampanoag only maybe ate turkey at the first-ever Thanksgiving feast, then how on earth did it become the unofficial mascot of the holiday? Although no one knows absolutely, there is one really strong possibility as to why and how turkey became the star of the entire show.

The whole situation dates back to an 18th century American writer named Sarah Josepha Hale. Hale was born in New Hampshire in 1788 and was a highly popular editor in her day. She is also the person responsible for penning “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” Most importantly of all, Hale was a major role model for women, so many popular choices of the time in regards to fashion, literature, decorating, and cooking could be traced right back to Hale’s writing and influence.

This is exactly how Hale probably became responsible for Thanksgiving as we know it today. She was obsessed with the holiday and hoped to eventually make it a major national observance on par with Independence Day. She also, of course, had her own unique take on how the ideal Thanksgiving table should look and what should be served. Her novel Northwood would describe it as the following:

"[It] is considered as an appropriate tribute of gratitude to God to set apart one day of Thanksgiving in each year; and autumn is the time when the overflowing garners of America call for this expression of joyful gratitude.

The roasted turkey took precedence on this occasion, being placed at the head of the table; and well did it become its lordly station, sending forth the rich odor of its savory stuffing, and finely covered with the froth of the basting.”

As you can see, Hale’s ideal picture of a Thanksgiving feast included a turkey as the centerpiece. She continued to support that standard for Thanksgiving going forward as well. That said, when she eventually (posthumously) succeeded in having Thanksgiving established as a national holiday after 17 years of lobbying, it makes sense turkey would be a given.

This idea would continue to be reinforced and strengthened over the years by popular culture, as well as traditions like Ronald Reagan’s symbolic turkey pardoning, so turkey does take center stage for historic reasons. However, it’s not for the reasons most people think.

What Else Was Served at the First Thanksgiving?

As touched on above, in all likelihood you serve and eat turkey every Thanksgiving for reasons that have nothing to do with what was on the Pilgrim’s first feast table. That leaves one question. What was served and enjoyed at the first Thanksgiving? The following are some likely probabilities.

Venison: In addition to the possibility of turkeys, ducks, or geese, there were lots of other meats served. We know for a fact that one of them was venison, as Winslow’s account expressly stated that the Wampanoag arrived bearing five deer that were then roasted over a spit.

Seasonal Produce: The first Thanksgiving was primarily a celebration of the Pilgrims’ first harvest, so there most definitely would have been a bounty of freshly harvested produce served. Local vegetables that were likely to have appeared include but are not limited to corn, peas, carrots, beans, onions, lettuce, spinach, and cabbage. Fruits included plums, cranberries, blueberries, grapes, and gooseberries.

Seafood: Seafood was a huge dietary staple in New England in the 1600s as well, so historians believe that it probably comprised most of that first meal. Lobster, oysters, clams, and bass were probably all present. There may even have been a chowder or two served.

As far as things that most likely weren’t eaten, potatoes and sweet potatoes top the list, as they weren’t popular enough food sources among the English or the colonial settlers at that time. There probably wasn’t any pumpkin pie, either, as the flour and butter necessary to make it wouldn’t have been available, nor had the settlers constructed the ovens necessary for baking. Like turkey, those staples would enter the scene and become wildly popular later on.

So there you have it – the why and how of Thanksgiving dinner as you know it today! Probably not quite what you pictured, but historically significant all the same. Which foods will be gracing your table this year?

We hope you enjoyed the article! Let us know what you think below…

References

1.     http://urbanext.illinois.edu/turkey/turkey_facts.cfm

2.     http://www.plimoth.org/learn/MRL/read/thanksgiving-history

3.     https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Products/9781609491864

4.     https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Products/9781609492595