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Faith

8 Little-Known Facts About Thanksgiving

Nov. 22, 2012 9:25pm

Editor’s note: A year ago, in the November 2011 issue of TheBlaze Magazine, we published the “Top 8 Little-Known Facts About Thanksgiving,” written by our own Meredith Jessup. We present it here as a little Thanksgiving gift to you.

Happy Thanksgiving from your friends at TheBlaze. 

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#8: WHY DO WE EAT TURKEY?

Historians believe that first Thanksgiving feast included turkey, waterfowl, venison, fish, lobster, clams, berries, fruit, pumpkin and squash. So how did turkey become a fixture of modern Thanksgiving feasts? It may have something to do with Pilgrim Gov. William Bradford’s own accounts in which he noted that, “besides waterfowl, there was great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many.” Thus, a tasty tradition was born.

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#7: WHERE DID THE PRESIDENTIAL TRADITION OF PARDONING A TURKEY COME FROM?

No one actually knows. Many credit Harry S Truman for being the first president to pardon a turkey, but the Truman Presidential Library admits there’s no documentation to substantiate that claim.

Truman’s successor, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, admitted he ate the two turkeys presented to him at the White House for Thanksgiving each year during his two terms in office.

When President John F. Kennedy was presented with a turkey wearing a sign reading, “Good Eatin’, Mr. President,” Kennedy simply responded, “Let’s just keep him.”

When President Ronald Reagan was asked about possible pardons for Lt. Col. Oliver North and national security advisor John Poindexter in the Iran-Contra affair in 1987, he joked about pardoning a turkey, but the practice of “officially” pardoning the bird wasn’t formalized until 1989. Since then, each president has “pardoned” a turkey each year, allowing it to be spared from the roaster to instead live out the rest of its natural life.

Some pardoned poultry have been shipped off to local parks around Washington and even as far as the Disneyland resort in California. In 2010, the turkeys pardoned by President Obama were sent to live at Mount Vernon, the estate and home of our first president, George Washington.

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#6: GIVING THANKS FOR AMERICA

Since the days of the Pilgrims, festivals of Thanksgiving for autumn harvest were observed sporadically in local communities across the American colonies. But in 1789, a Massachusetts congressman, Elias Boudinot, proposed that the new country should observe a national day of Thanksgiving to thank God for blessing the American people with freedoms preserved in our Constitution. As a result, President George Washington proclaimed that all Americans could observe “a day of public thanksgiving and prayer” on Thursday, Nov. 26, 1789.

The tradition continued until 1815 when President James Madison declared that April 13 would be a national day of Thanksgiving. Madison’s was the last such proclamation issued by a president until Abraham Lincoln did so in 1862.

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#5: IT TAKES A WOMAN’S TOUCH

One of the most ardent advocates for an annual national day of Thanksgiving was Sarah Josepha Hale, editor of Ladies Magazine and “Godey’s Lady’s Book.” Hale began lobbying for such a day in 1827 by printing articles in her magazines and writing to elected officials. After 36 years of persistence, Hale won her battle. Buoyed by the Union victory at Gettysburg, President Lincoln proclaimed that Nov. 26, 1863 would be a national Thanksgiving Day and that Thanksgiving would be observed each year on the fourth Thursday of November.

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#4: SAVE THE DATE

Since Lincoln’s original proclamation, only one president has failed to mark Thanksgiving Day on the fourth Thursday in November. As president, Franklin D. Roosevelt used his authority to reschedule Thanksgiving. In 1939, FDR caused a stir by declaring that Thanksgiving would occur on the third Thursday in November instead of the fourth. Why? Roosevelt thought moving the holiday up by one week would help Depression-era merchants by giving them more selling days before Christmas.

Despite popular resistance that objected to rescheduling Thanksgiving Day events such as football games and parades, Roosevelt repeated the switch again in 1940. By the following year, however, Congress fought back with a joint resolution officially establishing the fourth Thursday of November as a national holiday.

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#3: PILGRIMS AND INDIANS

Having landed at Plymouth, Mass., too late in the season to plant crops, the Pilgrims survived their first winter in the New World only with the help of local native Indian tribes. Despite losing half their population during the winter of 1620, food and farming assistance from Squanto and the Wampanoag tribe helped the Pilgrims build the colony at Plymouth. For this, the Pilgrims gave thanks to God and Gov. William Bradford praised the leader as a “[special] instrument sent from God.”

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#2: A DAY OF PRAYER AND THANKS

The following year, the Plymouth colonists joined the Wampanoag tribe and Squanto to sign a treaty of peace and friendship. Squanto helped the colonists produce viable crops, and after a successful harvest in the autumn of 1621, Gov. William Bradford proclaimed a day of prayer and thanks. Two years later, drought would once again put the colony in jeopardy. After the Puritan colonists prayed for rain and it was delivered, the Pilgrims gave thanks, once again tying the social event to their faith in God.

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#1: WAS PLYMOUTH REALLY THE SITE OF OUR NATION’S FIRST THANKSGIVING?

South of Plymouth, the English settlers in Virginia celebrated their own day of thanks in November 1619, a year before the Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth. The 38 settlers who disembarked from their ships on the banks of the James River declared at that time (from the original text): “Wee ordaine that the day of our ships arrival at the place assigned for plantacon in the land of Virginia shall be yearly and perpetually kept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God.”

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Comments (16)

  • universalphilos
    Posted on November 23, 2012 at 5:24pm

    Thanks for the Thanksgiving special! Here is a parable to the People of the First Light, the People of the Dawn; it must be their sacred knowledge?
    September 11, 1973: “And so they went forward in time yet again a short period, and looked upon the Earth of that called the Americans. And there, once again stood the Prophet. They were not amazed, for they knew of their Father’s wishes. But the Prophet stood before the dawn upon a small hill. And beside him stood a great chief, not only in wisdom, but in size. Yet the Prophet was small compared to this great chief. But as the dawn cameth forward, a shroud of light from our Father surrounded this one of the Prophet. And the great chief knelt before this one to grasp his garment. Yet the Prophet gently raised him up to his full height, and he said unto the chief, ‘It shall not be the size of man that should make the man, but it should be the size of his wisdom and that unto which he shall use it.’
    And the Fifth Spirit stood forth and said, ‘Then let’s go forward in time still yet again, and I shall show you what I see that the Third Spirit’s meaning is.’
    And they looked upon the Earth. And they looked upon the heavens. And from the heavens they heard these words spoken, ‘FOR THE HALFTIMES SHALL COME TO AN END AND BE NO MORE.’ …And they looked upon the Earth, and among them stood the one we shall say unto thee is the Messiah yet to come.”
    http://www.angelfire.com/in4/aup_messiah/1973September11.audio.h

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    universalphilos  
  • millright
    Posted on November 23, 2012 at 11:09am

    How about #9, first Thanksgiving 50 years before Sept. 1565 in St. Augustine, Florida. Spaniards and Indians.

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    millright  
  • Yuuperguy
    Posted on November 23, 2012 at 10:04am

    Actually Jamestown did fail. At least financially. People were starving, and one man devoured his wife. The King declared the Virgina Company bankrupt in 1624 when it made no profit. For every six colonists who ventured across the Atlantic only one survived. Jamestown would have failed entirely if not for John Smith and his “work or starve” motto which required colonists to work for four hours a day farming, instead of searching for gold which was the main reason most had come to this nation.

    Report this comment

    Yuuperguy  
  • SamIamTwo
    Posted on November 23, 2012 at 9:02am

    When you migrate/immigrate to a new nation, take a farmer with you. Lessons learned.

    Report this comment

    SamIamTwo  
  • PIGSWILLNEVERFLY
    Posted on November 23, 2012 at 5:03am

    Apparently, turkeys don’t fly either: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf3mgmEdfwg

    But then again maybe they do: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bx9Waj2-OB8&feature=youtu.be

    Don’t forget to type in: Addams Family Thanksgiving turkey day song – Wednesdays version

    Happy Thanksgiving to ALL at the Blaze & Family! May we all survive to share another one.

    Report this comment

    PIGSWILLNEVERFLY  
  • Tigress1
    Posted on November 22, 2012 at 11:06pm

    Regarding #4: Congress should have fought back even harder. Thanksgiving should be as George Washington originally proclaimed and then later as Abe Lincoln proclaimed that it should be the LAST Thursday of November. When you are standing in the crowds and being pushed, shoved and elbowed in the back , and squeezing around fat women’s rear ends that are blocking the aisles on Black Friday, you can thank the Progressive F.D.R. for all that B.S. that you are going through!

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    Tigress1  
    • bdandsl
      Posted on November 23, 2012 at 1:39am

      Never have shopped a Black Friday.

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      bdandsl  
    • Wolfgang the Gray
      Posted on November 24, 2012 at 1:18pm

      I don’t do Black Friday or Cyber Monday. There is no deal out there that is worth becoming a vicious animal in a herd of humans that are at each other’s throats for some stupid item. I think families should be able to spend time with their loved ones on Thanksgiving and no store should be open. If you want food, gas, toys, clothing, etc, do it the day before or the day after.

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      Wolfgang the Gray  
  • universalphilos
    Posted on November 22, 2012 at 10:42pm

    A anthropologist, January 24, 1976: “Early turkey-like birds in the Southwest are proving to be something resembling a Currasow more than a turkey. Where is the original home of Mirriam’s wild turkey and where is the original home of the Tularosa turkey?”

    “(Chuckle) That that was brought from Atlantis – from Atlantis, from Ur, from Ur to [Labaria], from [Labaria] — we say unto you, the Lord, our God, did bring forth many of His kind, and there­fore, found it good. But hybrids, as you would know them, the breeding of the substance, has been long done by mankind in many civilizations, each to suit their own need and purpose. You should find that in your own highlands, the breeding of the turkey substance and hybrid substance. You shall also find that in the lowlands as the waters did creep from the land that huge flocks were bred for this domestic purpose; many left unto the flocks and became unto the wild. Many of the hybrid experimental birds, therefore, can be found of that of today. Your turkey substance or the bird of the same should date unto this earth plane unto the time of the Sons of God did enter. Therefore, you should find this time substance over two billion years of your counting. Many of the fowl from the planet, of other planetary substance were brought unto this land. This of your turkey substance which your land did bring forth as a means of thanksgiving, and a day set, therefore, unto the Lord, is one of the oldest fowls upon your planet.”

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    universalphilos  
  • universalphilos
    Posted on November 22, 2012 at 9:49pm

    A parable, November 16, 1974: “And then came forth the time when the persecuted of the world came forth upon the new continent, this one you should call the Americans. And they set aside a day of thanksgiving unto the Lord. And they set aside a time at each meal that prayer should be given up unto the Lord for thanks for the bountiful food that should be placed before them.
    And they gave thanks unto the Lord and praise unto the Lord.
    And the Lord looked down upon them and said, ‘FOR THIS NATION SHALL BE UNDER THE LORD, FOR IT SHOULD BECOME THE NEW ISRAEL OF ALL THE LANDS.’
    And so the nation rose in strength.
    Yet in their far memory they had seen the Eagle’s flight, and the promise — that when the Eagle flew would be the promise of the coming of the Messiah. And therefore, they did make this the symbol of their land.
    Yet, in the winter time, the Eagle came forth, for is it not written, give praise unto the Lord, that the time of the Seventh Angel should not come in the winter time.” [See Matthew 24:15-23.]
    “But we say unto you, the Fifth Seal has been opened and the Fifth Angel walks upon your earth.”
    [Note: Since 1983, it was said the Sixth also walks. See The Revelation 6:9-11.]
    “We should hand you a cardinal of hope. Grasp it up into your hearts and mind[s] to know that the Lord shall bring forth the spring of your lives.”

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    universalphilos  
  • drs1969
    Posted on November 22, 2012 at 9:47pm

    Jamestown was settled by folks who were looking to make a profit. Plymouth was settled by socialists.
    Jamestown was built as a fort to defend it’s residents. The Pilgrims were lucky to find Squanto, to feed them. If the holiday is in honor of Pilgrims, then it should be called Thanks-Squanto. 400 years later and their descendants still vote for failed, socialist policies.
    DNA is clearly destiny. You can’t fix stupid.

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    drs1969  
    • SimpleTruths
      Posted on November 22, 2012 at 11:13pm

      And Jamestown failed, don’t forget to add that nugget.

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      SimpleTruths  
    • Chet Hempstead
      Posted on November 23, 2012 at 4:22am

      SimpleTruths
      Jamestown didn’t fail. You’re probably thinking of Roanoke, a lot of ignorant dolts make that mistake. The colony of Virginia grew out of the successful settlement at Jamestown, though the town itself disappeared after the capital of the colony was moved to Williamsburg.

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      Chet Hempstead  

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