Thanksgiving, one of the most celebrated holidays in America, surpassed only by Christmas and sometimes Halloween, is one of the only days where people actually care about each other and families can make amends. For a holiday which only lasts a single day on a Thursday, Thanksgiving is actually the best and one of the most important holidays to commemorate this year. There are many reasons why, but none are as important as how it was a holiday where a few Presidents of the United States took the time out of their day to write proclamations about it.
The event that Americans commonly call the “First Thanksgiving” occurred in the early 1600s (before the American Revolution but it’s still important) when the first English settlers arrived on the Mayflower in Plymouth, Massachusetts. After enduring 66 hard days at sea, the settlers had to endure the coming winter filled with disease and the unforgiving cold. It was a winter so horrible that many lives were taken. As soon as March arrived, the remaining settlers moved inland and were greeted by an English speaking Abenaki Native who brought friends to help teach the settlers how to farm and survive the harsh wilderness. The Natives also helped them forge an alliance with the Wampanoag Tribe, which unfortunately is one of the only examples of peace between the English and the Natives, according to an article written by History.com. The next year, after a fruitful harvest, the English and The Wampanoag Tribe celebrated for three days, which probably consisted of many wonderful dishes prepared by the Natives, as there is no known record of what was exactly eaten.
Soon the news spread of the great feasts of the Pilgrims of Plymouth and the Wampanoag Tribe to the other settlers around the colonies and they too began to practice the great feasts annually or occasionally. After the American Revolution in 1789, George Washington, Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, and the first President of the United States of America, issued the first Thanksgiving proclamation, congratulating the Americans for winning the war and for their newfound liberty and the ratification of the Constitution. And in 1817, New York became the first state to officially declare Thanksgiving a national holiday, with most of the northern states following this course of action soon after. The southern states were not all that well accustomed to the new tradition, so they remained largely blind to it.
Then, in 1827, Sarah Josepha Hale, aka the “Mother of Thanksgiving,” wrote numerous editorials and letters to government officials for 36 years to establish Thanksgiving as a National Holiday. Finally, in 1863, Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States of America, during the height of the Civil War, scheduled Thanksgiving to be celebrated for the final Thursday of the month of November. In his proclamation, he asked all Americans to ask God to take care of those afflicted by the war and to “heal the wounds of the nation.” He wanted the Union to express unity and compassion to not only their loved ones, but for the loved ones of their enemy. He wanted to include everyone who was afflicted by the war, because when disaster strikes, it affects all. This is another huge reason why Thanksgiving is the best holiday for 2020. We are struggling to survive against not only a virus, but also our very own loved ones. Mom vs Dad, Brother vs Sister. Is that not what happened during the Civil War, the country torn apart by a horrible plague? Is the country, right now, not divided in two, not just politically, but socially as well?
The value of the neighbor seems to slowly decrease each passing year, where all people see is nothing but hatred and differing opinions so great that it splits families apart. So what makes Thanksgiving so different, so important? Why Thanksgiving, if we already have Christmas and Easter for family and charity? Abraham Lincoln knew why when he signed that proclamation, knowing full well that if the Union loses this war, then the country loses its soul. George Washington knew why when he also signed his proclamation, for if they had lost that war, they might have all been torchered and killed for wanting liberty for all. Even Franklin D. Roosevelt knew why when he tried to make the holiday available not only to the rich, but for the poor as well, trying to save the economy during America’s worst economic crisis yet: The Great Depression. The Native, who knew that the pale face was their peoples enemy and should never have even come close to them, knew why. All he saw as they came from their ship was nothing but battered, beaten, hungry, lost, and terrified people. He saw people, and he hoped, that by making peace with them, others would come to see that too and follow his example. The American People have always been one to care for the other, even at the worst of times. The 2020 pandemic has stretched this country to its limits, which is why this holiday is more crucial than ever. Thanksgiving has always been a day to step back and breathe, if only for a little while, to reflect on what we are as people. There have been many, many horrible and terrible things that have happened this year, but Thanksgiving always reminds us of all the good that have happened as well. There is no better holiday than Thanksgiving to give hope in the darkest of times. And right now, we need hope.
Article by Jose G. Salinas of Watkins Mill High School
Graphic by Nyomi Fox of Walter Johnson High School
Edited by Opinions Editor Nicole Fang