The first Thanksgiving wasn't celebrated with turkey (there weren't any in Massachusetts) and didn't take place in 1621. Indeed the settlers, who probably didn't think of themselves as Pilgrims and were most certainly not revolutionaries against their king, were lucky not to be wiped out during their first winter. They probably would have been had the local Indian population not been affected even worse by disease and starvation. In this fascinating history of America's favorite creation myth, peppered with delightful and unexpected insights, Godfrey Hodgson throws new light on the radicalism of the so-called Pilgrims, the financing of their trip, the state of the Indian tribes that they encountered when they landed and the reasons why Plymouth probably didn't have a rock.
★★☆☆☆
In this nonfiction work, British journalist and historian Godfrey Hodgson takes a brief look at the true history behind the Thanksgiving holiday. He debunks several myths along the way, myths that have been taught as fact in schools over the centuries.
Hodgson brings you the truths and likelihoods behind some of the iconic symbols of the holiday, such as:
* Turkey -- The Pilgrims likely didn't have turkey at that first meal. They maybe knew OF it, but the turkey species we know today was not native to New England. There's also the research -- from ten different sites excavated at Plymouth, only one turkey bone was ever found. ONE single, solitary bone. And that one was found after a decade of digging in the area. A DECADE. Historian James Deetz goes on to say, "The circumstantial evidence is that it wouldn't be very likely. Turkeys are very hard to kill and the matchlocks of the period weren't very good for hunting."
* Pumpkin Pie --- Pumpkins were available in the area, but the Pilgrims lacked the butter, wheat flour, and proper ovens needed for baking a classic pumpkin pie.
* Sweet potatoes? A Southern introduction years later. Sweet potatoes didn't grow as well in New England's cold, rocky soil. We can also thank the South for pecan pie being added to the standards list (THANK YOU --- one of my faves!)
* Cranberry sauce -- Cranberries were in the area at the time of the first Thanksgiving, but not sugar....so no sweet sauce to jazz things up for the Pilgrims.
Hodgson takes his research way back to the days of Martin Luther pinning a certain paper to that monumental door, an act that led to the beginning of the Reformation period. From there, readers are taken through the time of Henry VIII and his heirs trying to turn the Reformation period around, right on to the moments in the 1600s that led up to the "Pilgrims", as we tend to call them (Hodgson points out that they would not have referred to themselves as such), first setting out towards new lands and new beginnings.
In the later years of Elizabeth's reign, and under her successor James I, most "Puritans" remained inside the Church of England, however unhappy they might be with its liturgy and theology, if only because they were not ready to risk persecution for their interpretation of Protestantism.
The Pilgrims, therefore, were not Puritans, because that name was used to describe those among the stronger Protestants who remained inside the national church. Only a few brave souls felt so vehemently about their beliefs that they were willing to risk punishment and persecution by defying the church's rules. They were given, and gave themselves, various names. Often they referred to themselves as "the godly."
The first Thanksgiving is often credited to the March 1621 meeting of John Carver, the Governor among the Pilgrim population, and Wampanoag chief Massasoit. To cap off what was actually a series of meetings, a feast was laid out for Carver's group and the Wampanoag people to share, so that they might literally and symbolically break bread together. Another early example of Thanksgiving occurred June of 1636. Unfortunately, this particular day of festivities was arranged by the General Court of Massachusetts to "celebrate" the recent genocide of the Pequot tribe, long deemed "problematic" by English settlers.
Several of the country's leaders tried to set up a widespread day of thanks over the centuries. Governor Shirley of Virginia and Governor Pitkin of Connecticut both tried in the mid-1700s. Years later, George Washington went on to recommend a nationwide celebration of a day of Thanksgiving, but it was not made into an official national holiday until November 26, 1863 by Abraham Lincoln, inspired by the persistent petitioning of Sarah Hale, the editor of Lady's Book Magazine (Fun fact: Hale was actually the first female editor of a magazine in the US. She also authored the famous rhyme, "Mary Had A Little Lamb"). Just prior to Lincoln proclaiming Thanksgiving a holiday for the Union, Jefferson Davis had done the same for the Confederacy. Typically, those in favor of the holiday had the themes of gratitude and inclusiveness in mind.
In terms of sheer factual coverage of the historical period, Hodgson certainly did his due diligence in research. But as far as easy readability, this text has a much more academic, rather than conversational, tone to the writing, much like a college paper in published book form. Things get a little more interesting when he gets into the journey of the Mayflower itself and the building of the community at Plymouth. Of note: here he also points out that the Pilgrims didn't just land and stumble out at the shores near Plymouth Rock --- the image we're typically given as grade school children --- instead, this point was actually deliberately chosen from a few options as the most suitable for land cultivation.
Though, as I said, Hodgson puts in the work, as far as research, some of what he presents does read more like opinion and speculation rather than fact. To be expected to some extend, I guess, given the minimal amount of irrefutable fact we do have to rely on from that period. There are some interesting lessons to be learned here, but the flow of the writing itself didn't exactly win me over.
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