Posts Tagged ‘Thanksgiving’
Interview: What’s the History Behind Thanksgiving Day?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteInterview: What’s the History behind Thanksgiving Day? Lisa Anderson recently interviewed me on her Boundless podcast/radio show. She asked me several questions about the history behind the first Thanksgiving Day, who the Pilgrims were, the differences from the Puritans, the backstory of Squanto, the friendly Native American who spoke English, and the customs we practice.…
Read MoreHistory of Thanksgiving Native American: Why Squanto already knew English
Reading Time: 3 minutesHISTORY OF THANKSGIVING: FRIENDLY NATIVE AMERICAN? Podcast version We’ve all heard the story of how the Pilgrims, landing in Massachusetts on the Mayflower in 1620, were ill-equipped to survive the harsh winters of the New World. We’ve also heard how they met a Native American of the Pawtuxet tribe named Squanto, who befriended them, taught…
Read MoreHistory of Thanksgiving: the Secular & the Sacred
Reading Time: 5 minutesHistory of Thanksgiving: the Secular and the Sacred. What was the original intention of the Pilgrims coming to America, how was it that they didn’t land at their intended destination, when was the “First Thanksgiving,” and how did it become a modern holiday?
Read MoreAbraham Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation – 1863
Reading Time: 2 minutesABRAHAM LINCOLN’S THANKSGIVING PROCLAMATION – 1863 Following the initial Presidential Thanksgiving proclamations of George Washington, John Adams, and James Madison, there were no further Presidential proclamations for this day until Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day during the Civil War, but it was not initially in November.…
Read MoreGeorge Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation – 1789
Reading Time: 2 minutesGEORGE WASHINGTON’S THANKSGIVING PROCLAMATION – 1789 The first President of the United States began a Presidential tradition of making a Thanksgiving proclamation, following those issued previously by the Continental Congress between 1777 and 1784. At the request of the House and Senate, and in celebration of the new U.S. Constitution, Washington on October 3, 1789,…
Read MoreHistory of the First Thanksgiving Proclamation – 1676
Reading Time: 2 minutesHISTORY OF THE FIRST THANKSGIVING PROCLAMATION – JUNE 20, 1676: On June 20, 1676, the governing council of Charlestown, Massachusetts, held a meeting to determine how best to express thanks for the good fortune that had seen their community securely established. By unanimous vote, they instructed Edward Rawson, the clerk and first secretary of…
Read MoreWhen We Start Celebrating Holidays: Can we listen to Christmas music now?
Reading Time: 3 minutesTHE START OF HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS Here’s an article I wrote nine years ago. Is the trend accelerating? On November 1st, a friend asked, partly in jest: “Halloween is over, can we listen to Christmas music now?” And therein lies a conundrum. When do we begin the celebration of the Christmas holiday? There are…
Read MoreHistory of Thanksgiving: the Secular and the Sacred
Reading Time: 5 minutesHISTORY OF THANKSGIVING The origin of Thanksgiving Day in America has been attributed to a harvest feast held by the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts. In 1621, Governor William Bradford of the Plymouth Colony proclaimed a day of “thanksgiving” and prayer to celebrate the Pilgrims’ first harvest in America the year after their arrival on the…
Read MoreHistory of Thanksgiving Indian: Why Squanto already knew English
Reading Time: 2 minutesHISTORY OF THANKSGIVING: FRIENDLY INDIAN SQUANTO We’ve all heard how the Pilgrims, landing in Massachusetts four hundred years ago on the Mayflower in 1620, were ill-equipped to survive the harsh winters of the New World. We’ve also heard how they met a Native American Indian of the Patuxet tribe, Squanto, who befriended them. He taught them…
Read MoreHistory of Thanksgiving: the secular and the sacred
Reading Time: 2 minutesHISTORY OF THANKSGIVING The origin of Thanksgiving Day has been attributed to a harvest feast held by the Plymouth Colony. In 1621, Governor William Bradford of the Plymouth Colony proclaimed a day of “thanksgiving” and prayer to celebrate the Pilgrims’ first harvest in America the year after their arrival on the merchant ship Mayflower. The…
Read MoreHistory of Thanksgiving: Friendly Indian?
Reading Time: 2 minutesHISTORY OF THANKSGIVING: FRIENDLY INDIAN? We’ve all heard the story of how the Pilgrims, landing in Massachusetts on the Mayflower in 1620, were ill equipped to survive the harsh winters of the New World. We’ve also heard how they met a Native American Indian of the Pawtuxet tribe named Squanto who befriended them, taught them…
Read MoreHistory of Thanksgiving
Reading Time: 2 minutesHISTORY OF THANKSGIVING The origin of Thanksgiving Day has been attributed to a harvest feast held by the Plymouth Colony. In 1621, Governor William Bradford of the Plymouth Colony proclaimed a day of “thanksgiving” and prayer to celebrate the Pilgrims’ first harvest in America the year after their arrival on the merchant ship Mayflower. The…
Read More