THANKSGIVING TIDBITS

by Pam North

Centuries ago, the Mayflower brought to this country colonists who
were originally members of the English Separatist Church, a puritan
sect.  Religious persecution earlier had forced them to flee their
homes in England and sail to Holland (the Netherlands).  Although they
enjoyed more religious tolerance there, the Dutch way of life seemed
sacrilegious to them, and they decided to seek a way of life more in
keeping with their own beliefs.  The Separatists negotiated with a
London stock company to finance a pilgrimage to America.  Only about
one-third of the original colonists were Separatists, as most of those
aboard the Mayflower were non-Separatists hired to protect the
company's interests..

The Pilgrims set ground at Plymouth Rock on December 11, 1620, only to
face a devastating first winter.  By the following fall in 1621, 46 of
the original 102 who had sailed on the Mayflower had died.  The bounty
of the autumn harvest gave a reason to celebrate, however, and a feast
was held that included the 91 Indians who had been instrumental in
aiding the Pilgrims' survival in that initial critical year.  The
three-day feast was more of a traditional English harvest festival
than a true thanksgiving observance.  Four men were sent "fowling' by
Governor William Bradford to obtain wild ducks and geese.  The term
"turkey" was used by the Pilgrims to mean any sort of wild fowl, so it
is uncertain if wild turkey was eaten, but venison definitely was
served.  Boiled pumpkin was part of the fare rather than pumpkin pie.
The supply of flour had been long exhausted, so no bread or pastries
were enjoyed, but there was a type of fried bread made from their corn
crop.  No domestic cattle meant no dairy products, which eliminated
milk and butter from the menu, and because the newly-discovered potato
was still considered by many Europeans to be poisonous, that vegetable
was unlikely to have been on the table.  The feast did include other
delicacies, such as fish, berries, watercress, lobster, dried fruit,
clams, venison and plums.

The following year did not see a repeat of the Thanksgiving feast, but
a severe drought in 1623 brought the Pilgrims together in a service to
pray for rain.  When their prayers were answered the following day by
a lengthy, steady downpour, Governor Bradford proclaimed another day
of thanksgiving, again inviting their Indian friends.  Still the feast
was not a yearly occurrence, and it wasn't until 1676 that another was
held. On June 20th of that year, the governing council of Charlestown,
Massachusetts, in an effort to determine the best way of expressing
gratitude for the good fortune that had favored the secure
establishment of their community, held a meeting, and by unanimous vote
instructed a clerk, Edward Rawson, to proclaim June 29th as a day of
thanksgiving.  Indians were most likely absent from this this
thanksgiving celebration as it was held partly in recognition of the
colonists' recent victory over the "heathen natives."  All thirteen
colonies were joined for the first time in October of 1777 for a
one-time thanksgiving celebration that also commemorated the patriotic
victory over the British at Saratoga.  Despite the fact that some were
in opposition to the idea, George Washington proclaimed a national day
of thanksgiving in 1789.  Many colonists felt that the hardships of a
few Pilgrims hardly warranted a national holiday.  Later, Thomas
Jefferson was one of those who scoffed at the idea of having a day of
thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving as we know it came about largely by the efforts of Sarah
Josepha Hale, a magazine editor who wrote many editorials championing
her cause in Boston Ladies' Magazine and Godey's Lady's Book.  Her
40-year obsession and campaign of writing articles and letters to
governors and presidents, finally culminated in success when, in 1863,
President Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November as a
national day of thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving was embraced by every subsequent president after Lincoln.
The date underwent changes occasionally, most recently by Franklin
D. Roosevelt, who moved it up one week to the next-to-last Thursday in
November to create a longer Christmas shopping season.  Public
indignation over Roosevelt's decision soon caused Thanksgiving to be
moved back to its original date.  Finally, in 1941, Thanksgiving was
officially sanctioned by Congress as a legal holiday to be celebrated
on the fourth Thursday in November.