"Making peace with the Pilgrims afforded security for the Wampanoag. An agreement was struck for the benefit of both Pilgrim and Wampanoag. The latter would help the settlers survive the winter and the Pilgrims would be a deterrent for the Wampanoag against their nemesis to the west."
"Whenever the holiday season comes upon us, annual traditions and thanksgiving activities are a blessing. Family events center around each special occasion — Hannukah, Christmas, New Year’s — and Thanksgiving is no exception. Yet, while this celebration is quite common for American households, and we grow up anticipating the turkey, stuffing, apple pie — the inevitable food “coma” and football naps — many of us remain curious about how this ritual began — the “origin story” of this beloved holiday.
"Early on in school, we learn to equate Thanksgiving with a feast between Pilgrims and Native Americans. But there is additional background surrounding this holiday that isn’t typically taught or highlighted. Did you know there is a “Mother of Thanksgiving,” and that its recognition can be traced back to the founding fathers of the United States?
"Thanksgiving is the quintessential American holiday, and we celebrate it annually on the fourth Thursday in November.
"But there is more to this celebration — this annual ritual — than just “turkey and dressing.” Thanksgiving is commonly known as a way to commemorate the colonial Pilgrims’ harvest meal in 1621, which they shared with the Wampanoag Indian tribe, who “were key to the survival of the colonists during the first year they arrived in 1620.
"As years passed, designating feasts dedicated to giving thanks “on an annual or occasional basis” became common practice in other New England settlements as well. A tradition had begun to take shape.
"Besides the original meal shared in 1621, Pilgrims held a second Thanksgiving in 1623 to celebrate the end of a long drought. Yet, technically, the first official designated Thanksgiving was celebrated much later — in 1789. According to the National Archives, Congress asked President George Washington for a national day of thanksgiving. Thursday, November 26, 1789, was, therefore, declared (original spelling): “Day of Publick Thanksgivin”
"This, America’s National Day of Thanksgiving, is about reflecting on blessings and acknowledging gratitude. After all, President George Washington’s 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation included its stated purpose:
"Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor — and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”
"We can all thank the “Mother of Thanksgiving,” writer and editor Sarah Josepha Hale, for successfully establishing Thanksgiving as an annual national holiday." . . . More...
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