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The holiday celebration known as Thanksgiving is often seen as an “American” tradition. The accepted version of the holiday and its celebration focuses on the Pilgrims and the fest they shared with local Wampanoag Indians in celebration of God’s providence. Their celebration occurred at Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621. The Pilgrims indeed had much to be thankful for in terms of their survival in the wilderness, escaping the religious persecutions they endured in England and setting up the first self-governing compact known as the “Mayflower Compact”. Although this is the accepted version, there are some inconvenient facts that pop culture historians often leave out.
The feast of the Pilgrims in 1621 was also a testimony that socialism did not work. In the initial planning of the colony, a system focused on “community” where all contributed to a common stock of food did not work. It was only when each of the families took care of themselves and their families that the food situation began turning around.
The Pilgrims indeed had much to be thankful for. The holiday identifies them as the reason for the celebration. They are often said to have celebrated the first Thanksgiving in America. The facts are that the 1621 celebration was not the first feast of Thanksgiving commemorated in America.
Some historians claim that Jamestown celebrated the first Thanksgiving in 1619, when the colonists celebrated a fest of thanks with a meager meal. They were expressing gratitude for having survived harsh conditions in the colony. They celebrated the event with the local Indians. A Reverend Hunt led the colonists in a formal prayer of Thanksgiving during the event.
24 years before the Pilgrims celebrated their feast, a Spanish expedition enjoyed a thanksgiving meal. The year was 1598, and the location was El Paso, Texas. The Onate expedition finally reached water after a long trek through the desert. At that time a formal declaration of Thanksgiving to God for providing for them and protecting them in the harsh environment was declared and a meal was prepared. The expedition members enjoyed their meal with the Tigua Indians in this area of Texas. This was 20 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth rock.
Another contender for the title of the first Thanksgiving in America is St. Augustine, Florida. 56 years before Plymouth a Spanish explorer landed here on Sept. 8, 1565, and celebrated a feast of thanksgiving with Timucua Indians. For their celebration they dined on bean soup. That may not sound like much of a feast, but if you have been out at sea on ships where it was often too dangerous to have fires, bean soup makes for a good meal.
A year prior to that, in 1564, a group of French Hugenots, escaping religious persecution in Europe, landed in Florida. Soon after establishing their settlement of Ft. Caroline, they gave thanks for their deliverance. They shared their feast with the local Ticuma Indians. Their fare included a locally produced wine, bread from their bakery and indulgence in tobacco. Sadly, the Spanish expedition a year later was sent to wipe out this small French enclave of those attempting escape from the intolerance of other beliefs running rampant in Europe.
Another contender for the title of first Thanksgiving in America is Amarillo, Texas. It was near here that in 1541, Coronado and his men sat down for a meal in expression of Thanksgiving in the spring of that year. The expedition camped beside Palo Duro Canyon, and offered thanks for bountiful game and shelter, after they had experienced a series of severe storms that nearly destroyed the expedition on its trek.
So although the Spanish had the first Thanksgiving in America in 1541, had the first Thanksgiving meal with Indians in 1565, and had the first Thanksgiving feast with Indians in 1598, since they did not control the writers of American history, their accomplishments were overlooked. Although Texas is home to the first Thanksgiving celebrated in America, the credit goes to the Pilgrims. It also of interest that the language used in celebrating Thanksgiving was Spanish.
The story of Thanksgiving also has some other myths surrounding it as well. Although Lincoln’s Thanksgiving proclamation is often touted as the first, history shows that that is not the case. Even before Lincoln’s proclamations of Thanksgiving, he was not the first President to proclaim Thanksgiving as a holiday. President Sam Houston of the Republic of Texas proclaimed that March 2, Texas Independence Day, be a day of celebration of freedom and thanksgiving. So Texas formally recognized Thanksgiving before it was a national holiday in other nations.
Later, Governor George Wood of Texas proclaimed the first Thanksgiving observance in Texas would be moved to the first Thursday in December 1849.
Thanksgiving has always been about a time to thank God for his blessings. Regardless of it origins, it was a time to express gratitude. The notion of turning into a holiday continued with some of the proclamations by the President Lincoln as part of his war time measures in 1863. Even here, President Jefferson Davis formally proclaimed days of Thanksgiving two years prior to when the Lincoln did in 1861. With that proclamation, the South celebrated Thanksgiving both informally and formally BEFORE the rest of the States did. Even though the facts are that the South, and specifically Texas was where the first Thanksgiving occurred and that it was celebrated as a holiday here it before the northeast, they claim it is theirs. Thanksgiving had been part of the American culture prior to the war, with George Washington having issued a formal declaration for it as a day of thanksgiving and prayer on 14 October 1789. Although it was a day for prayer and thanksgiving, it was not a formal holiday at that time. Washington’s example of calling for such a day was emulated by two other nations.
So Lincoln was not the first President to proclaim Thanksgiving a national observance or holiday, nor was the United States the first nation to formally celebrate Thanksgiving.
When the federal government formalized Thanksgiving which was traditionally a time of thanks into a formal holiday, there were reactions. It was in response to this practice of turning it into a formal holiday that the Texas Governor, Oran Roberts made his quote, “It’s a damned Yankee institution anyway.”
Texas has the unique history of having celebrated two Thanksgivings in 1939, due to disagreements between the Governor and the tyrant Franklin D. Roosevelt. The President wanted extra time to allow for shopping between Thanksgiving and Christmas that year. Texas refused to acquiesce and change the traditional time of its celebration. The Thanksgiving holiday has become the traditional time of the rivalry football game between Texas and Texas A&M. The game went on as scheduled and Texas celebrated two Thanksgivings in 1939.