The history of Thanksgiving has devolved from a gathering of Pilgrims in 1621 at Plymouth Rock. Everyone has seen the pastoral image of American Indians coming to a feast with the Pilgrims to celebrate the harvest and the peaceful co-existence that existed at the time. That, of course, was before Henry Hudson swindled the Native Americans out of Manhattan for a handful of beads, before the French and Indian War, before Little Bighorn, etc.
Nonetheless, it has been a custom in the New World to have some fall celebration and offer thanks for our good harvests and good fortunes. An even more egregious complaint than that of our Native Americans might be lodged by the turkey. Once nominated by Benjamin Franklin as a candidate for the United States National Bird, the turkey has been relegated to holiday table fare, with no respect for its true status as a dominant avian species of America. Although found in the wild in every state of the union, this elegant but homely creature has been vilified and embarrassed to the point where it is best known for reposing naked on its back with its well- tanned legs up in the air in the center of the table at dinner while the family gathers round to ogle on the fourth Thursday of November each year.
And why that date, you might ask? It is because that is the day that Congress and several presidents have decreed that we set aside some time to give thanks for our many blessings. George Washington first issued a proclamation to set November 26th as a national day of prayer and thanks in 1789. Thomas Jefferson declined to follow suit on the premise that it was too close to combining elements of church and state. But finally, Abraham Lincoln decided to thank the Union Army and God for a shift in the country’s fortunes. On November 26, 1863, expressing gratitude for a pivotal Union Army victory at Gettysburg, President Lincoln announced that the nation would celebrate an official Thanksgiving holiday on that date. His speech, which was actually written by Secretary of State William Seward, declared that the fourth Thursday of every November thereafter would be considered an official U.S. holiday of Thanksgiving. Congress eventually ratified that proclamation and made it law. Thus, it became etched in stone, and statute.
Woe betide the fortune of the turkey thereafter! Drooling relatives annually gather round for the feast. Bring on the mashed potatoes and gravy, yams, stuffing (or is it dressing?), green beans, cranberries, and the pumpkin or apple pie and loosen the belt a notch or two.
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! And Pass The Turkey!
