If it had been about family, the Pilgrims never would have invited the Indians to join them. Thanksgiving Myths Probably the key reason that most of the congregations of God have not discovered the true origins of Thanksgiving sooner is because of very popular and widely spread myths about Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is almost here and with the annual festivities also comes years upon years of myths that have developed around one of the biggest holidays of the year for Americans. Note also that for entertainment they exercised their arms and that four colonists shot in one day almost enough fowl for over 50 people feasting for nearly a week, thus tending to support the claims of authors such as Randolph Roth that guns were accurate enough to hit targets. "sex as a God-given responsibility" And sure, a knowledgeable budtender could point you in the right direction, but we think we've figured out a better method for choosing a marijuana strain. Historian Shenkman is doing a disservice to history in proposing: "To see what the first Thanksgiving was like you have to go to: Texas...." He has succumbed to an El Paso Chamber of Commerce hype. Harvest celebrations were ancient traditions for both the Pilgrims and the Native Americans. For most of us, one thing that won't be different about this year's Thanksgiving is gathering around the dinner table to enjoy a festive meal. They ate A LOT. No it wasn't. MYTH # 2 Thanksgiving Was About Family If by Thanksgiving, you have in mind the Pilgrim festival, forget about it being a family holiday. Though even presidents get this wrong -- Ronald Reagan once referred to Puritan John Winthrop as a Pilgrim -- Pilgrims and Puritans were two different groups. :). Myth 1: “The first Thanksgiving” occurred in 1621. They also referred to themselves as “Saints,” not Pilgrims. Thanksgiving facts and Thanksgiving myths have blended together for years like so much gravy and mashed potatoes, and separating them is just as complicated. Texans claim the first Thanksgiving in America actually took … It is very difficult to hit a bird on the fly with a matchlock, and quite difficult with a flintlock. Myth: Harry S. Truman started the tradition of pardoning a Thanksgiving turkey. No it wasn't. The first Thanksgiving refers to the 1621 gathering of Pilgrims and Native Americans where a big feast was held to celebrate the harvest. If capital-T Thanksgiving has any reality in the US, it has to be based (centuries back) on the harvest festivals held by many peoples, and/or on the various proclamations by US Presidents referring to events staged by early English colonists. If the purpose of life is not to enjoy it, then I don't know what it could be. The Answer Is Complicated, Woody Guthrie's Communism and "This Land Is Your Land". Related is our short series on the NatGeo made-for-TV movie Saints and Strangers, in which we painstakingly debunk a pack of myths about the Pilgrims and… He holds a Ph.D. from Harvard, and researched much of his fascinating book at Harvard and other Boston area archives utilizing many original documents. However, many cultures held similar feasts after the harvest, not just pilgrims. Historians say it took place in late September or early October, when the harvest was brought in. In use, they are inaccurate. As Carl Degler long ago observed,"The Sabbatarian, antiliquor, and antisex attitudes usually attributed to the Puritans are a nineteenth-century addition to the much more moderate and wholesome view of life's evils held by the early settlers of New England. Put away your Norman Rockwell paintings. But you know what. Willison's book came out at the end of World War II and Americans had more on their minds than Pilgrims then. Though this percussion fowler is much later in date, I suspect that it is a conversion from a flintlock. And that causes the whole body to slow as it attempts to process all that food. How Quickly Does Cannabis Enter Your System, and How Long Does It Stay There? In practice the inherent accuracy of an early firearm is not very meaningful. "While the holiday that observes the events in Plymouth is an important one in our national culture, let's not forget it was preceded by a similar event 56 years earlier," Gannon said. Myth #2. Perhaps the secular mind cannot grasp the concept, every Mass celebrated is a celebration of thanksgiving. Cotton Mather, the celebrated Puritan minister, condemned a married couple who had abstained from sex in order to achieve a higher spirituality. Myth: Abraham Lincoln pardoned a Thanksgiving turkey. hahahah...you Christians and your silly notions of shame. To see what the first Thanksgiving was like you have to go to: Texas. There are so many strains of marijuana available it can be nearly impossible to figure out which one is right for you. From what Pilgrims wore to what they ate at the first Thanksgiving meal, these Thanksgiving myth busters will blow your mind. To whom do we give trhanks? There is a picture of one here: At the time period the ignition system was probably a mathlock, though early flintlocks would have been starting to take over. That’s actually not at all how Pilgrims dressed, simply how artists portrayed them in the 19th century since those forms of clothing were considered old-fashioned. When one member of the First Church of Boston refused to have conjugal relations with his wife two years running, he was expelled. Do what you love!, Allen. We get it! But I'm pretty certain that if there is He/She/It would be more concerned that we enjoy life, than whether or not we can belittle someone into thinking our way. Clearly, today's secular mind has difficulty in grasping (resents? Actual"Thanksgivings" were religious affairs; everybody spent the day praying. Clearly thanksgiving predates Europeans reaching N. American soil. The puritans were giving thanks to God, attempts to rewrite history, and "dispel myths", notwithstanding. Truth. 7. Here are some common myths: 1) In … It was the other way around because the Pilgrims were starving, the locals felt had pity on them and brought them food during their Thanksgiving ceremony. The Setting of the Traditional Story of Thanksgiving. That we confuse Pilgrims and Puritans would have horrified both. The traditional Thanksgiving dinner that your Grandma cooks for you is not the traditional Thanksgiving dinner that the pilgrims ate. Most people get sleepy after Thanksgiving dinner for a much simpler reason. Although you may feel free to discuss the demoninational nuances between 'puritans', 'pilgrims', 'separatists', etc., the fact still remains that they were a christian religious sect that arrived in America for religious reasons. It is a good bet that the Pilgrims brought the Thanksgiving celebration with them from England/Britain. Jeremy Bangs: The Truth About Thanksgiving Is that the Debunkers Are Wrong, http://www.joesalter.com/detail.php?f_qryitem=0411, http://www.plimoth.org/Library/Thanksgiving/thnksref.htm, Washington History Seminar TODAY: Claudio Saunt's "Unworthy Republic", The Bonnie and Richard Reiss Graduate Institute for Constitutional History Seminar Spring 2021 Session (Virtual), Hank Aaron's Lasting Impact is Measured in More than Home Runs, Washington Must Treat White Supremacist Terrorism as a Transnational Threat. In “Top 10 Myths About Thanksgiving,” Rick Shenkman, editor of HNN, announces that Thanksgiving was not about religion. )how pervasive was the Christian mindset in European mand in the Middle Ages & in the early modern period. "The more, the merrier," Travers said. Take this Quiz to Find Out, Think You're a Marijuana Expert? For the first 100 years, settlers celebrated Thanksgiving "in honor of [a] bloody victory, thanking God that the battle had been won." The Thanksgiving myth doesn’t address the deterioration of this relationship culminating in one of the most horrific colonial Indian wars on … I liked believing those myths!! The narrative that underpins the traditional Thanksgiving story is built on myths about the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag and their relationship. Or, to be technically correct, they came over in order to be able to practice their religion freely. The statement that the Pilgrims "wanted nothing to do with the non-separarting congregationalists of the Bay Colony" distorts the complex relationship between the two English colonies that ultimatlely led to the creation of the New England Confederation. Explorer Pedro Menendez de Aviles and his Spanish followers probably dined on cocido - a stew made from salted pork and garbanzo beans, laced with garlic seasoning - hard sea biscuits and red wine, said Gannon. Until then, Thanksgiving was simply a day of thanks, not a day to remember the Pilgrims.). Nope, not true. But they could’ve just as easily set up in Holland, where they were accepted. Speaking of Pilgrims, the Pilgrims weren’t actually Pilgrims. Fact: While the story of the first Thanksgiving usually starts with the Pilgrims stepping off the Mayflower onto Plymouth Rock (another myth!) Nonetheless it is true, Rick is correct, that thanksgiving was celebrated by Christians in America long before Plymouth Rock. Texans claim the first Thanksgiving in America actually took place in little San Elizario, a community near El Paso, in 1598 - twenty-three years before the Pilgrims' festival. They also held other ceremonies proclaiming possession for the crown as they went along. Test Your Cannabis IQ Here, Best Way To Clean Your Oil/Wax Vaporizer Pen, Welcome to Lowell Cafe: LA's First Cannabis Lounge & Restaurant, How to Survive Thanksgiving Dinner with Cannabis, First He Won Survivor, then He Beat Cancer—Cannabis Helped Along the Way, Why Indica, Sativa, and Hybrid Classifications Mean Close to Nothing. In their view it's not the Mayflower we should remember, it's the Margaret, the little ship which brought 38 English settlers to the plantation in 1619. So what does one mean by the first thanksgiving? Share . Myth #2–The pilgrims ate pumpkin pie and mashed potatoes at their Thanksgiving feast. Actually, they welcomed sex as a God-given responsibility. Thanksgiving Was About Religion. MYTH # 2 - Thanksgiving Was About Family If by Thanksgiving, you have in mind the Pilgrim festival, forget about it being a family holiday. It is amusing how vexing it may be to the secular mind, hating religion, America's traditional immersion in Christianity, that our two most important holidays in this secular society are religious: the Protestant Thanksgiving & the Catholic Christmas (Christ's Mass). Was the desire to burn witches part of this 'moderate and wholesome view of life's evils'? Actually, witches who were executed by hanging, not burning. Turn off Bing Crosby. MYTH # 3 Thanksgiving Was About … And that causes the whole body to slow as it attempts to process all that food. Myths About One of the Biggest Holidays for Americans. In 1578 Martin Frobisher's expedition celebrated Thanksgiving while exploring in the eastern Arctic. Share Tweet . We're not as good as you! While the “first Thanksgiving” idea is not historically true, it is true that we should use this holiday as a … But it overlooks the fact that there were earlier settlements and earlier Thanksgivings. Thanksgiving was a multicultural community event. Indeed, a few years ago in Curenevaca I went to Mass in a cathedral the foundation stone of which is said to have been laid by a fellow by the name of Cortes. With the annual festivities of Thanksgiving also comes years upon years of myths that have developed around the much-celebrated holiday for Americans. The shooter has to have the discipline to continue swinging the firearm on the moving target while, quite close to his face, a heavy hammer falls, and a blast of heat and white smoke comes out near his face. If the Seloy Indians contributed food, then the menu could have included wild turkey, venison, tortoise, fish, corn, beans and squash, he said. For instance, it is said that there is a church in Santa Fe in which the Mass has been celebrarted daily, without fail, for a hundred years before Plymouth Rock. Thanksgiving is a holiday everyone knows the history for. When I first read the first American cookbook, Amelia Simmons' "American Cookery," which appeared in 1796, I was struck by the fact that it codified recipes for many dishes that we eat on Thanksgiving, including roast turkey and puumpkin pie. The Boston Herald November 28, 2002 Thursday ALL EDITIONS HEADLINE: Prof: Spanish colonists held first Thanksgiving BYLINE: By Jules Crittenden BODY: The Pilgrims' Thanksgiving wasn't the first in the New World, a Florida professor says, and it's about time Americans put a few more seats at the table to make room for other historical traditions. Some (so-called"strangers") came to America in search of riches, others (so-called"saints") came for religious reasons. The traditional story of the holiday is the one reoccurring in school history books and given the Peanuts treatment in "A Charlie … By Rick Moran Nov 28, 2013 5:54 AM ET . In 1947, Truman did … Sadly, history proved otherwise, as within a generation the English colonists fought against the Indians to take their land. Especially in English scholarship, the term "Puritan" or "puritan" has been subject to a lot of questioning, with some arguing that the term is so difficult to define that it provides little historical meaning. Thanksgiving myths, misconceptions, and legends are prevalent on the internet. Capitol Attack was Culmination of Generations of Far-Right Extremism, Biden Seeks to Define His Presidency by an Early Emphasis on Equity, The Horrifying American Roots of Nazi Eugenics, Was Martin Luther King Jr. a Republican or a Democrat? It was because the Victorians prepared Thanksgiving that way. If it had been about family, the Pilgrims never would have invited the Indians to join them. The U.S. is the only country that celebrates Thanksgiving. In 1947, Truman did receive one from the National Turkey Federation, but he … Maybe we should be flexing like they did in this country today. From myths about the sharing of a meal to the “totally-not-a-captive” Squanto, our country’s “first Thanksgiving” actually resulted in the genocide and erasure of the Wampanoag. MYTH # 3 - Thanksgiving Was … The blunderbuss was mainly used to control crowds. Similar dimensions, less graceful lines, and a clubbier butt to the stock would probably be similar to a fowler ~1625. MYTH: Thanksgiving has been celebrated every year since the nation’s founding. Sure, they were glad to have reached the Río Grande in their journey, but they gave similar thanks at other stages of their trip to colonize New Mexico, so El Paso can assert no uniqueness in that. It Didn't Happen That Way Let us begin by stating that thousands of years before the 'official' Thanksgiving Day was proclaimed by Governor Winthrop of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1637, North American Indigenous people across the continent had celebrated seasons of Thanksgiving. In the limited documentation from that time, there is a mention of “fowls” being prepared, but not specifically turkey. For example, in Texas, there is a marker that says, "Feast of the First Thanksgiving–1541." And they're the ones who made Thanksgiving a national holiday, beginning in 1863, when Myths About Thanksgiving Hans Bader • November 26, 2012 The Pilgrims continued to confront the specter of starvation until they ditched their collective farming practices in favor of individual property rights, which finally brought them prosperity by increasing incentives to produce and manage farms wisely. We often confuse Puritans and Pilgrims, and assume that Pilgrims were straight-laced and had no fun. Puritans considered the Pilgrims incurable utopians. From the large quantity of birds I rather suspect that the firearms used were either "fowlers" or "punt guns". How It's Made: Papa & Barkley's Releaf Patches. Yes, the Mass Bay colony was very rigid about religous conformity and particularly nasty to the indigenous people. Although this may vary from house to house, and a few families might make one for Christmas, this dessert is generally enjoyed at Thanksgiving. But she said Plymouth doesn't have a monopoly on images and expressions of thankfulness. Good on the Puritans. So How Will It Rank? Library of Congress English separatists were rebranded as Pilgrims through the Thanksgiving origin myth. Which I doubt since I'm pretty certain that the indian's there at the time weren't Monotheistic. Here are seven myths you probably believe about Thanksgiving: Considering we celebrate Thanksgiving in November, you’d think that the first one took place in November as well. 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