Real US Thanksgiving History: Myths, Facts & Indigenous Perspectives

Okay, let's talk turkey. You think you know the US Thanksgiving history story? Pilgrims, big hats, friendly meal with the Native Americans, right? Well, hold onto your wishbone. The real tale is way more complicated – and honestly, way more interesting – than those grade school plays let on. I spent weeks digging through old letters, conflicting accounts, and frankly, some pretty biased history books to get this straight. It's messy. It's human. Let's get into it.

The 1621 Harvest Feast: What Actually Went Down in Plymouth?

So, picture this: Autumn, 1621. Plymouth Colony. Rough year. Half the Mayflower crowd didn't make it through that first brutal winter. Survival was still sketchy. The Pilgrims, led by Governor William Bradford, managed a decent harvest thanks partly to some crucial help from the Wampanoag people, especially a guy named Tisquantum (you probably know him as Squanto).

Did they call it "Thanksgiving"? Nope. That term came later. This was a three-day harvest celebration – essentially, a huge, much-needed party fueled by relief and whatever food they could scrape together.

What always gets me thinking: Imagine the relief those folks must have felt. Surviving that winter? Deserving of a feast, absolutely. But looking back now, knowing what came later for the Wampanoag... it adds a layer modern celebrations often gloss over.

The Real Menu: Forget Just Turkey and Pie!

Forget images of perfectly browned turkeys and pumpkin pies. Those staples came much later. Edward Winslow’s letter (one of the only *real* primary sources) mentions:

Likely Served	Definitely NOT Served	Why Not?
Venison (lots of it, brought by the Wampanoag)	Mashed Potatoes	No potatoes in North America then!
Wildfowl (geese, ducks, possibly some turkeys)	Pumpkin Pie	No butter, wheat flour, or ovens for pastry.
Fish & shellfish (mussels, lobster, cod)	Cranberry Sauce (jellied)	No refined sugar available.
Corn (as porridge or bread)	Sweet Potatoes/Yams	Not yet cultivated in the north.
Nuts (walnuts, chestnuts, acorns)	Green Bean Casserole	Invented in the 1950s!

Key Takeaway: The 1621 feast was less about a specific menu and more about survival, diplomacy (however fragile), and sheer gratitude for making it through. Focusing only on the food misses the deeper context of early US Thanksgiving history.

From Sporadic Days of Prayer to National Holiday: The Long Road

Here's where folks get confused. Harvest feasts weren't unique to Plymouth. Days of Thanksgiving (solemn days of prayer and fasting, often declared for military victories or survival) were common in colonial New England way *before* 1621 became the symbolic origin story. They were irregular and local.

So how did *this* feast become *the* thing? Blame the 19th century, honestly. Sarah Josepha Hale – editor of the popular magazine "Godey's Lady's Book" – spent decades (!) lobbying presidents for a national Thanksgiving holiday. She saw it as a way to unify a country bitterly divided leading up to the Civil War. Talk about timing.

Frankly, Hale was brilliant at myth-making. She heavily promoted the (already somewhat rose-tinted) image of the 1621 Pilgrims and Wampanoag feast as this harmonious origin story. It resonated. But it smoothed over the brutal realities of colonization that followed. That simplification still shapes how many perceive US Thanksgiving history.

Abraham Lincoln finally made it official in 1863, smack in the middle of the Civil War. His proclamation framed Thanksgiving as a national day of unity and healing – a powerful message for a fractured nation. The date? The final Thursday in November. It mostly stuck, though FDR briefly tried moving it earlier during the Depression to boost Christmas sales (seriously!), causing confusion until Congress fixed it as the *fourth* Thursday in 1941.

Evolution of Traditions: Tying Past to Present

The holiday Lincoln proclaimed looked quite different from what we do now. How did we get turkey, parades, and football?

The Turkey's Reign: While wildfowl were likely eaten in 1621, turkey became the undisputed centerpiece largely thanks to Hale's relentless promotion (she called it "the American bird") and Victorian-era cookbooks codifying the ideal feast. Its size made it practical for large gatherings.
Macy's Parade (1924): Started as a Christmas parade to boost the department store's profile and celebrate immigrant employees. Balloons debuted in 1927. It became inextricably linked to Thanksgiving morning NYC culture.
Football (1890s+): College rivalries started scheduling big games on Thanksgiving Day early on. The Detroit Lions (1934) and Dallas Cowboys (1966) cemented the NFL tradition for many families. (Personally, I could do without the couch-groaning after that second slice of pie, but hey, tradition!).
Presidential Turkey Pardon: An odd one. Folklore traces it loosely back to Lincoln sparing a turkey meant for dinner (likely apocryphal). The modern, televised ceremony started more solidly with George H.W. Bush in 1989.

Acknowledging the Complexities: Indigenous Perspectives

This is the part of US Thanksgiving history many narratives downplay, and it's crucial. For many Native American tribes, especially the Wampanoag, Thanksgiving is a National Day of Mourning.

Why?

That 1621 moment of cooperation was fleeting. Within decades, conflicts over land, broken treaties, devastating diseases brought by Europeans, and warfare decimated the Wampanoag and other tribes. The "First Thanksgiving" story often ignores the genocide and displacement that followed colonization.

Learning about the National Day of Mourning, observed since 1970 in Plymouth, Massachusetts, really shifted my perspective. It forces you to confront the uncomfortable gap between the simplified myth and the harsh historical reality. Ignoring this does a disservice to the full US Thanksgiving history.

Many Native people today use Thanksgiving as a time to gather with family – the value of gratitude and community resonates universally. But they also use it to honor ancestors, educate others about their true history and ongoing struggles for sovereignty and recognition.

Modern Observances & Resources

National Day of Mourning (Plymouth, MA): Held since 1970 on Thanksgiving Day. A solemn gathering at Cole's Hill, overlooking Plymouth Rock, featuring speeches, prayers, and remembrance. Organized by United American Indians of New England (UAINE). Non-Native allies are often welcome to attend respectfully as listeners.
Native American Heritage Month (November): Designated nationally as a time to learn about and celebrate the diverse cultures, traditions, and histories of Native peoples. Seek out events, support Native artists/businesses, and read works by Native authors.
Support Indigenous Organizations: Consider donating to or learning from groups like the National Museum of the American Indian, the UAINE

Unpacking Common US Thanksgiving History Questions (FAQs)

Did the Pilgrims really land on Plymouth Rock?

Probably not exactly *on* that specific boulder. Accounts are vague, and the rock didn't become a landmark until much later. Its symbolic importance grew way beyond its historical accuracy.

Why did the Pilgrims leave England anyway?

They were Separatists, wanting to completely break away from the Church of England, which they saw as corrupted. Persecuted for this, they first fled to the Netherlands for religious freedom. Worried about losing their English identity and facing economic hardship, they secured funding to establish a colony in the New World.

How did Squanto learn English?

Tisquantum's story is astonishing and tragic. Years before the Pilgrims arrived, he was captured by English explorers, enslaved, and taken to Europe. He spent years in Spain and England, learning the language and customs, before managing to return to North America around 1619, only to find his entire Patuxet tribe wiped out by disease. His ability to speak English was absolutely crucial for the Pilgrims' survival, born from immense personal suffering.

Were there other "First Thanksgivings" in America?

Absolutely! Claims exist for earlier European thanksgivings:

St. Augustine, Florida (1565): Spanish explorer Pedro Menéndez de Avilés held a Mass and feast with the Timucua people after founding the settlement.
Berkeley Hundred, Virginia (1619): English settlers arriving on the ship Margaret held a service of Thanksgiving upon landing, as decreed by their charter.

Why is Plymouth the dominant story? Largely because the New England colonies wrote the early histories of the US, and the 19th-century myth-making solidified it.

When did Thanksgiving become a fixed retail holiday?

The link between Thanksgiving and Christmas shopping ("Black Friday") solidified in the mid-20th century. Retailers promoted the day after Thanksgiving as the unofficial start to the Christmas shopping season. Its name "Black Friday" supposedly comes from retailers moving from being "in the red" (loss) to "in the black" (profit) that day, though other origins are cited. The creep towards "Gray Thursday" (stores opening on Thanksgiving Day itself) is a much more controversial recent trend.

Celebrating Today: Tradition, Gratitude, and Reflection

Despite its complex origins, Thanksgiving endures as a deeply meaningful holiday for many Americans. At its core, it's about:

Gratitude: Taking a pause to acknowledge what we're thankful for.
Family & Community: Gathering with loved ones, sharing a meal, connecting.
Reflection: Considering our history, both the triumphs and the tragedies.
Abundance (& Excess): Celebrating harvest, food, and giving (food drives, volunteering surge around this time).

For my family, it's less about perfectly replicating some mythical 1621 meal and more about the chaos of everyone crammed into the kitchen, the smell of roasting turkey filling the house, the awful jokes my uncle tells every year, and that moment before we eat where we actually stop rushing and say what we're grateful for. It feels real. It feels human. That's the spirit worth keeping.

Making Your Thanksgiving Meaningful & Informed

Want to connect more deeply with the spirit of the holiday and honor the full US Thanksgiving history? Here are a few ideas:

Action	How It Helps	Simple Step
Acknowledge the Land	Recognize the Indigenous peoples whose land you gather on.	Visit Native-Land.ca to identify the traditional territory. Mention it respectfully at your gathering.
Learn & Share	Counter the simplified narrative.	Talk about Tisquantum's real story or the National Day of Mourning during dinner conversation. Watch a documentary together.
Support Indigenous Communities	Move beyond words to action.	Buy ingredients from Native-owned farms (like The Sioux Chef co-op) or donate to Indigenous charities.
Focus on Gratitude (Really)	Return to the core.	Go beyond "I'm thankful for food." Encourage specific, personal reflections. Write them down.
Volunteer or Give	Extend abundance to others.	Help at a soup kitchen, donate to a food bank, or support a local mutual aid project.

So, there you have it. The story of US Thanksgiving history is no simple tale of Pilgrims and pumpkins. It's a messy, evolving narrative of survival, myth-making, conflict, gratitude, and national identity. Understanding that complexity doesn't ruin the holiday; it makes the act of gathering, giving thanks, and striving to do better all the more meaningful.

Pass the gravy... responsibly.