Thanksgiving Through the Years

In celebration of Thanksgiving, we’d like to look at the progression of this holiday in history, starting all the way back at the First Thanksgiving.

All of the facts that we have about the First Thanksgiving are from one letter written by Edward Winslow, one of the men aboard the Mayflower. Still, we can tell that the First Thanksgiving was very different from what we know today. It didn’t happen on the fourth Thursday in November, and they didn’t eat the classic turkey with stuffing meal.

The First Thanksgiving is thought to have happened in Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts sometime between late September and November of 1621, and lasted for three days. The Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Native Americans ate foods such as venison and shellfish. There were around 50 people there: 4 women, around 22 men, and 25 children and teenagers. Because of the harsh New England winter and disease sweeping through the colony, these were the few people who actually survived. We believe that they were celebrating the survival of their first year in the colony with these three days of thanks.

Alongside the colonists at this celebration were the Wampanoag Native Americans. Winslow wrote, “many of the Indians coming amongst us, and amongst the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men.” They were most likely in the area for the harvest.

Although the First Thanksgiving was very different from the one we have today, it was about giving thanks to what the colonists and Native Americans had. The colonists were thankful that they survived through the harsh conditions of this new world. -Natalie

Though we often think that the First Thanksgiving when the first settlers landed in Plymouth is what started the tradition of the celebration, it actually didn’t become a national holiday until President Abraham Lincoln made it so in 1863. Still, there were debates about the date. This all changed in 1939 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt officially made Thanksgiving the last Thursday in November.

As our nation recovered from the Great Depression, Thanksgiving celebrations brought families and friends together to rejoice in the bounties of the season and create cherished memories. It also caused some tensions, as part of FDR’s intention was to increase sales before the holidays.

Depression-era Thanksgiving meals were different, and instead of our “traditional” green bean and sweet potato casseroles, they ate things like oysters and asparagus, more reminiscent of the First Thanksgiving. These meals were actually proportionally more expensive than Thanksgiving meals are today. -Caroline

Thanksgiving: different to everyone but at heart it’s all about people coming together to celebrate and give thanks for one another. Post Depression-era Thanksgiving, Norman Rockwell truly captured the true essence and beauty of this holiday in his famous painting, “Freedom from Want.”

Many things inspired the painting, the first being Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s State of the Union Address from which he spoke of the Four Freedoms: freedom of speech, of worship, from fear, and from want. Freedom from want, in simple terms, is to be in a situation where you do not have to worry about the simple things in life such as whether or not you will have a meal.

Rockwell began work on his painting in 1941 and published it in 1943. Because it was published during times of great hardship, the Second World War, Rockwell took American struggles into account. The size of the turkey, the family being depicted as too happy, their clothing, etc., all mattered in the representation of Americans. Nonetheless, Rockwell created what we know as “Freedom of Want.”

So, even during a war, humans found something to be thankful for. If nothing else, let Rockwell’s masterpiece be a symbol to you. If you do not have a family to share your happiness with this Thanksgiving, take joy in your good health, a roof over your head, and the small pleasures in life. -Maggie

As you can see, Thanksgiving traditions have changed a lot throughout the years, and we must not forget to look into the stories beyond the pictures. In the time of the First Thanksgiving, many Native Americans suffered, and still today, do not receive enough credit for their role in helping the Pilgrims. In the era of the Great Depression, many Americans could not even feed their families, let alone host a Thanksgiving feast. Even once the economy stabilized and the traditional American Thanksgiving depicted in Norman Rockwell’s “Freedom from Want” painting emerged as a symbol of American culture, many Americans’ Thanksgivings looked different, as they incorporated different cultures into their holidays, celebrated with friends instead of or along with immediate family, and more.

Nowadays, there are many forms of celebrating Thanksgiving, that although are new, represent the core value of coming together with thanks. There are even Thanksgiving traditions unique to our town. Care and Share of East Lyme holds an annual Thanksgiving food drive, where the community chips in to donate food for the holiday. Everyone from Stop and Shop to East Lyme High School (our school!) contributes, and Care and Share uses the donations to put together baskets for families in need.

Additionally, there has sometimes been a 5k Turkey Trot held in town, which is a race that raises money for local nonprofits.

Ultimately, the ways Americans celebrate Thanksgiving have changed a lot, and small communities such as ours across the country find their own unique way to help others. This Thanksgiving especially is certainly different from them all, as due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many Americans will refrain from gathering together. However, no matter what it looks like, the one thing that has remained constant is that Thanksgiving is a time to stop, slow down, come together, and have gratitude for the little things.

The pictures of Thanksgivings now and then are like quilts — from afar, they are lovely images of the ideals we hold important to us. Upon a closer look, they are made up of American stories all threaded together to form history. Happy Thanksgiving from us to you! -Nicole

Works Cited

Beaumont Enterprise. “Great Depression-Era Thanksgiving Recipes Published in the Beaumont Journal.” Beaumont Enterprise, Beaumont Enterprise, 11 Nov. 2020, www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Great-Depression-era-Thanksgiving-recipes-2282292.php#photo-1777287.

Chan, Melissa. “Thanksgiving Day: What Happened at the First Thanksgiving.” Time, Time, 22 Nov. 2016, time.com/4577425/thanksgiving-2016-true-story/.

Ogden Publications, Inc. “Thanksgiving During the Great Depression.” Farm Collector, www.farmcollector.com/farm-life/thanksgiving-during-the-great-depression.

Pruitt, Sarah. "Colonists at the First Thanksgiving Were Mostly Men Because Women Had Perished." History, 16 Nov. 2020, www.history.com/news/first-thanksgiving-colonists-native-americans-men.

“Thanksgiving.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 22 Nov. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving#In_the_United_States.

Cover picture: https://www.fordfoundation.org/ideas/ford-forum/with-four-freedoms-four-responsibilities/with-the-freedom-from-want-the-responsibility-to-serve/