The American Thanksgiving: History, Feast and Parade!

The Deep Dive delves into the complex history of Thanksgiving, debunking myths surrounding the 1621 event where Pilgrims and Native Americans shared a feast. The true story involves political motives and a different menu, highlighting the evolving nature of the holiday. Sarah Josephine Hale played a key role in making Thanksgiving a national holiday, emphasizing unity during the Civil War. Today, Thanksgiving reflects a blend of cultures, with new dishes being incorporated alongside traditional favorites. The holiday's evolution showcases a mix of myth, history, culture, and commercial influences, shaping American food traditions. Welcome to the Deep Dive. Today we're taking a closer look at Thanksgiving, you know, one of America's biggest traditions, but maybe one we don't fully understand. Right. Our mission really is to get into the actual roots, how the food became so central, and maybe bust a few myths along the way. And that starts with the big one, doesn't it? That image we all have. Oh, yeah. The 1621 picture-perfect scene, pilgrims, Native Americans all sharing peacefully. Well, it turns out that specific image is largely a later invention, a constructed mythology, you could say. Okay. So let's unpack the real 1621 event. What actually happened? Well, based on Edward Winslow's account, it was a three-day harvest festival in Plymouth. They didn't actually call it Thanksgiving. Then that term usually meant something more solemn, like fasting and prayer. Interesting. And who was there? It wasn't just the pilgrims? No, not at all. There were about 50 settlers, but around 90 Wampanoag men showed up. And this wasn't purely social. The Wampanoag leader, Massasoit, was there for, well, strategic reasons. Politics at the dinner table. Pretty much. They'd been hit hard by European diseases, and were looking for an ally against a rival tribe, the Narragansett. So it was a political meeting with a feast attached. And the food itself tells a story, too, right? What was actually on the table versus what we think was there? Huge difference. Forget the pumpkin pie, no butter, no wheat flour for crusts back then. And potatoes? Nope. Hadn't arrived in New England yet. So no mashed potatoes. Wow. What did they eat? The accounts mentioned fowl-likely ducks, geese, maybe wild turkey, but not the centerpiece like today. And venison, five deer brought by the Wampanoag, plus local stuff like maize, squash. It's so different from the modern spread. And it's important to remember the context beyond that single feast, the later history. Absolutely crucial. That initial alliance eventually broke down, leading to conflict and, well, devastation for the Wampanoag. That's why for many Native Americans, the day is marked as a national day of mourning. A really stark contrast to the popular myth. It is. And it highlights how the holiday evolved. Because for over 150 years, Thanksgiving wasn't a national thing at all, just kind of a regional New England tradition. So how did it become this national holiday? One persistent woman, mostly, Sarah Josephine Hale. She was a writer, editor of the hugely popular magazine, Godey's Ladies Book. Ah, I've heard of her. She campaigned for it. For decades, petitioning presidents, writing editorials, relentlessly pushing for a unified national Thanksgiving Day. And then Lincoln made it official. Right. In 1863, smack in the middle of the Civil War. It was very intentional, a political move. Lincoln hoped it would help heal the wounds of the nation, bring people together. So the holiday we know is kind of born out of a need for unity during crisis. Exactly. And Hale didn't just push for the date. She basically standardized the menu through her magazine. The turkey, the stuffing, the pumpkin pie. She promoted those recipes, linking them to this idea of American tradition. It's fascinating how much of it was, well, constructed, not entirely organic. Very much so. And today, it's just massive. Thanksgiving is the single biggest eating event in the U.S. And the food reflects how culture keeps changing, right? It's not just that 19th century menu anymore. Definitely not. Look around the country. Down south, you'll find mac and cheese, maybe some collard greens, sweet potato pie, often instead of pumpkin. Or in the Midwest, the green bean casserole. Yes. Which, fun fact, was invented by Campbell's Soup Company in the 50s to sell their cream of mushroom soup. So even classics can have commercial roots. Hmm. And things are still evolving now, aren't they? People are bringing new dishes. Yeah. Data shows something like 55% of Americans are open to adding dishes from other cultures. You might see lumpia or kimchi or tamales alongside the turkey now. It's becoming a real blend. That reflects the changing face of America, I suppose. It does. And it's not just what we eat, but how. Some studies show Black American families tend to have the longest gatherings, like 30% celebrate for over seven hours. It highlights the connection, the time together can be just as important or even more so than sticking rigidly to the old menu. That's a great point. And then there are the completely non-food traditions that got tacked on. Oh, like football. The Detroit Lions started playing on Thanksgiving back in the 1930s, literally just to get more people to buy tickets. And the parades. Macy's started theirs in 1924. Yeah, basically to kick off the Christmas shopping season. So commercialism played a role too. So when you pull it all together, Thanksgiving is this evolving mix, part myth, part political history, part changing culture, all centered around this big meal. Exactly. It's a living tradition constantly being rewritten on dinner tables across the country. Which leads to a final thought, maybe. We see that groups like Hispanic, Latino, and Black Americans are often the most open to bringing new cultural dishes to the table. What does that tell you about who's really driving the future of American food traditions, whose story gets told on the plate next year? Something to think about. Definitely food for thought.