Thanksgiving: 400 years of American tradition
Americans celebrate the 400th anniversary of Thanksgiving in 2021, owing to the sacrifices of our ancestors who gathered in 1621 in Plymouth
There are many ways to approach history. Some view it through the lens of specific dates when certain events occurred; others, through a continuum where series of interactions and experiences aggregate over time culminating into historical dates we come to know today. I count myself among those in the latter category. History is full of richness and depth where a bit of research attempts to fill gaps. To that end it instructs us we have much more to learn. This is my attempt in paying homage to one of our greatest holidays when words alone cannot honor the history enough.
Choosing a good starting place to explain the events preceding the great pilgrimage is difficult. Thankfully, the best book I’ve found on the subject gives us an excellent blueprint. For those interested in the vivid details, I strongly encourage reading the book: Thanksgiving, written by Glenn Alan Cheney. It’s a relatively short read at under 300 pages, but I highly recommend it.
The Century Before
Catholicism was the prevailing religion in the European Middle Ages owing its roots to the late Roman Empire’s conversion. Over a millennium later, its threads were interwoven through society and culture. Repelling countless threats over the centuries, the Church hadn’t before encountered quite the same adversary they found in 1517. This is when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the Castle Church door in Wittenberg, Germany sparking the broad Protestant Reformation. 1 It wasn’t war that unsettled the Catholic clergy; it was rhetoric.
King Henry VIII of England desired a divorce from his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Frustrated by the Pope’s refusal to grant annulment, King Henry infamously created the Church of England. Leaning heavily on the schism between Catholics and Lutherans, the king’s actions fueled the English Reformation. He then became a serial divorcé with his new precedent.
Lutheranism and the Church of England were not only revolutionary, but the principles were inherently a self-disruptive force. Puritans sought to “purify” the Anglican Church’s Roman Catholic tendencies. Others known as the ‘Separatists’ sought to secede from the Church of England altogether.
The Separatists
The Separatist movement was obviously unpopular with the majority Protestant British. King James I of England struggled for years to contain the Separatists. The difficulty came in the asymmetry inherent in the Christian denomination. Building on the 16th century’s revolutionary challenges to Papal authority, the Separatists came up with some of their own. They believed there was no need for a physical structure of the church-they themselves were a church. The gathered in secret at the dead of night for worship. Quiet and reserved, the Separatists were aware what they were doing was blasphemous to the Crown’s religious patent.
To refer to this group as, “ the Separatists,” is perhaps incorrect. These individuals were not organized into one specific group, but decentralized and uncoordinated between congregations. This uncoupled structure where only beliefs grouped them made for an asymmetrical challenge for King James to cope with. It was effectively guerrilla thought-fare rather than warfare.
The Separatists, harassed and unwelcomed, fled to Holland where religious tolerance was much more embraced. Patience even in Amsterdam wore thin as the Separatist William Brewster published the Perth Assembly. This called out King James specifically on his religious dealings in the U.K. With The Netherlands at war, it became a political necessity for them to align with England. King James demanded the Separatists be remitted to the Crown for trial. The Separatists realized no safe quarter could be found in Europe. They sought refuge elsewhere: the New World. With their course set for the Americas, the Separatist religious refugees would become known later as the Pilgrims.
The Pilgrimage
The Separatists were eager to set sail with hopes of finally securing their own religious freedom. They commissioned two ships for the journey: the Speedwell and the Mayflower. Plagued by delays throughout the summer, they launched the voyage on August 15, 1620. The crew soon discovered the Speedwell was not a seaworthy vessel. Back-to-back attempts ended in returning to England due to the hull filling with water. The stresses of ocean travel exposed the Speedwell’s limitations and made it unworthy of the stormy Atlantic waters.
It was up to the Mayflower to ferry the Pilgrims west. Some remained behind as the ship simply couldn’t accommodate the combined passenger load. A month had since past following initial embarkation. The date was now September 16th with two months of sea travel ahead. Determination fueled by the promise of faith, the Pilgrims finally departed from the European continent. For many, it was for good.
Weeks passed by with endless storms and open sea. There was no question the Pilgrims were filled with doubt and discouragement. The grueling nature of 17th century sea travel is punishment enough no matter your level of convictions. The first casualty onboard was William Button. He perished on November 16th, just three days before land sighting.
The Mayflower crew finally spotted the New England coast on November 19th. The original agreement was to settle in the Virginia Colony some several hundred miles south. The journey proved to be too treacherous with dangerous shoals blocking their route. Against all intentions, the Pilgrims were forced to make Massachusetts their new home. Two days later on November 21st, 41 men aboard signed the Mayflower Compact-the first governing document for the Plymouth Colony. That same day they dropped anchor in Cape Cod and a small contingent of men landed ashore for the first time.
Winter is Here
The timing could not have been worse. Malnourished, sea-weary, and cold, the new settlers arrived in New England on winter’s doorstep. They had no homes to speak of. Their supplies were dwindling by the day. Allies were unknown and unreachable. The feeling of helplessness and doom was surely setting in.
Much of the passengers and crew remained aboard the Mayflower for much of winter. The remaining month of November and much of December were spent exploring and plundering small abandoned Native American outposts. The first shelters weren’t constructed until around Christmas and into January.
The Pilgrim’s first winter was surely hell on earth. Family members and friends died feet from one another aboard the Mayflower. Sickened by the frigid New England air and close quarters, the agony and loss persisted. In February alone, 17 deaths were recorded. In total, 45 had perished in the winter of 1620–21 out of the original 102. Nearly half who made the trip weren’t around to see the first spring. For those remaining who left everything behind in Europe had now lost everything they took with them. Faith was the purpose of their pilgrimage, and it was all they had left.
A Friendly Welcome
As the winter months gave way to March, seeds of hope began sprouting among the colonists. A most fateful day for the Plymouth Colony occurred on March 26, 1621 when a Native American waltzed into the English settlement. The panicked Europeans were met with a familiar tongue. The new guest by the name of Samoset greeted them in English exclaiming, “Welcome, Englishmen!”
I would argue this is the most epic entrance of all time, especially considering Samoset coupled it with a special request for English malt beer. The stunned reactions of bewilderment would have been worth the price of admission. Here was a Native American communicating in the Pilgrim’s own language. Of all the stresses and losses since leaving Europe (and even before with persecution), an act of almost divine providence gave the settlers the break they needed.
In fact, Samoset’s arrival was the key to ensuring the Plymouth Colony’s viability. He brought Tisquantum (Squanto) with him on April 1st as he was fully fluent. English proficiency was a byproduct of Squanto’s enslavement years earlier where he was shipped to Europe. The unfortunate set of circumstances inadvertently spared Squanto his life as plague wiped out the Patuxet tribe during his absence. Squanto was the only one left.
Samoset and Squanto were keys to friendly relationships and alliances with surrounding tribes. Squanto famously taught the Pilgrims how to grow corn-a crop native to the Americas. He proved invaluable in aiding the settlers in traversing the area and the foreign vegetation and berries suitable for consumption. Trade was quickly established with neighboring tribes as the Pilgrims worked to set roots in New England.
The First Thanksgiving
A successful spring planting and summer crop lead to a bountiful autumn harvest. The first Thanksgiving was celebrated around October 1621 in the Plymouth Colony. 2 Only the original (and those born) from the Mayflower were the Europeans in attendance. The next ship arriving, the Fortune, did not do so until November 1621 following the festivities. The first Thanksgiving had 53 Pilgrims 3 with an additional 90 Wampanoag Native Americans congregating. 4
It was a three day feast of prayer and gathering celebrating the harvest where the New and Old Worlds came together. The first Thanksgiving was a moment in time punctuating the founding principles of America. The diverse gathering of different cultures and religions highlights the unique nature of America. Tolerance, freedom, self-determination, and generosity are the promising virtues of this nation. The Thanksgiving holiday gave us a glimpse into that world long before the Founders put pen to paper and gunpowder to musket.
The Pilgrims had done what they set out to do. They now practiced their faith how they long desired-free from regal or papal harassment. Sacrifice was the price of their convictions. The tragedies each one of them faced along the way are more than most would endure today. In many ways, the first Thanksgiving embodied the very principles of the Pilgrims. There was no established date, no official building. They gathered informally as a church, as they had in England, to honor God. And now, 400 years later, we carry on the tradition with our friends and families.
Originally published at https://powerandmarkets.substack.com on November 24, 2021.
