Here in the United States, Thanksgiving is the simplest of holidays. There’s no incredible decorations or gifts like Christmas, nor solemn ceremonies like Memorial Day. It’s a simple holiday: give thanks, then enjoy the company of family and friends, and eat, eat, and eat again. What could be better?
Giving Thanks for Survival
The national day of Thanksgiving is as old as our nation itself. We learned at the earliest school age about the Massachusetts Pilgrims suffering, and the Native Americans who helped them to overcome the harsh environment. After it seemed assured that the settlement would survive, they declared a time of celebration and prayer at the end of the fall harvest.
But there was a fall harvest tradition even before the Plymouth celebration, with settlers in Virginia celebrating a day of Thanksgiving as well, two years before the Plymouth celebration. Of course it’s America: there’s a controversy about everything; even who had the first Thanksgiving.
Politics of Giving Thanks
The prayerful celebration became a tradition in both the North and South in colonial America. But it was in 1789, after the establishment of the Constitutional government, that President George Washington declared an official day:
“…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…”
Twelve years later President Jefferson refused to proclaim such a day. He believed that the “Executive” of the United States was prevented from declaring a “religious” holiday because of the First Amendment to the Constitution. Baptists in Georgia were concerned that their state failed to mention religious protection in its constitution. In a draft letter Jefferson explained his view.
“I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; thus building a wall of separation between church and state. Congress thus inhibited from acts respecting religion and the Executive authorised only to execute their acts, I have refrained from prescribing even occasional performances of devotion prescribed indeed legally where an Executive is the legal head of a national church…”
Jefferson’s political opponents, the Federalists, used this view to claim that he was an atheist. Political strife is as much a part of Thanksgiving as turkey. Jefferson’s successor, James Madison, didn’t need the controversy, and reinstated the holiday.
National Suffering
But Thanksgiving was made an official national holiday when Abraham Lincoln proclaimed it in 1863. It was after a terrible year of war: battles at Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Vicksburg, and Gettysburg took tens of thousands on both sides. For the Union, it was a year that began in terrible defeat, but also the year the tide turned with huge victories in the summer. The end of the war was on the horizon, though not as close as it seemed at the time.
But it was also a time of incredible prosperity, with the Northern farms and factories producing more goods than ever before. For those in the United States not physically touched by the war, it was certainly a year to be thankful for.
National Unity
Lincoln knew that while the war might seem to be won, it would require more years of struggle. National unity was critical to enduring, and endurance was the ultimate Union strategy. If they could simple endure, the economic might of the North would surely prevail over the South. He made this point most eloquently in his short speech at the dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery, delivered a week before Thanksgiving. He wanted these words shared at the Thanksgiving table.
“…It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
Tradition
So the Thanksgiving Day tradition became established in American life. There’s been more political upheaval. Franklin Roosevelt changed the date from the fourth Thursday to the third, hoping to boost Christmas sales during the Great Depression. Congress tolerated most of the New Deal changes, but changing Thanksgiving was too much. Two years later Congress put it back, writing into law: the Fourth Thursday of November.
Political controversy and Thanksgiving isn’t over. President Obama in his 2015 proclamation spoke of being thankful for American diversity:
“…In the same spirit of togetherness and thanksgiving that inspired the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag, we pay tribute to people of every background and belief who contribute in their own unique ways to our country’s story. Each of us brings our own traditions, cultures, and recipes to this quintessential American holiday…”
President Trump emphasized national unity and devotion.
“As we gather today with those we hold dear, let us give thanks to Almighty God for the many blessings we enjoy. United together as one people, in gratitude for the freedoms and prosperity that thrive across our land, we acknowledge God as the source of all good gifts. We ask Him for protection and wisdom and for opportunities this Thanksgiving to share with others some measure of what we have so providentially received.”
And of course, this year there will be plenty of political debate over turkey, stuffing and cranberries. I hope that Americans can find a “spirit of togetherness” despite our partisan differences, for the hours around the table. At least, don’t throw the drum stick.
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
And on a personal note, welcome to the family and the world Charlie Slutzker, our newest grand nephew, born just last night!! Congratulations Leah and Adam!!!
