How have the meanings of Thanksgiving changed over time? In your view, which aspects of Thanksgiving have not changed since the holiday’s invention in the early 19th century?
Thanksgiving Discussion Question 3
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In my opinion, Thanksgiving started out as a holiday more focused on commemorating the pillars emphasized by the pilgrims (piety, morality, etc.). This is evident by the paintings created between 1894 and 1925, that are exhibited in the story board. These painting seem to emphasize piety because in half of them the main subject is seen praying or leading the table in a prayer. Another central focus of these earlier depictions is interactions with Native Americans. These interactions are depicted as positive, as they show pilgrims collaborating and sharing food with the Native Americans. By doing this, these artworks are painting the pilgrims as generous and innately good, which is interesting because both generosity and “goodness” could be considered earlier pillars of the Thanksgiving holiday.
Although I think generosity, goodness, and morality are still important pillars associated with Thanksgiving that have remained unchanged, the holiday has evolved a lot in other ways. Firstly, I think it has become a lot more commercialized in some ways, and more strongly associated with popular culture. For example, the Macy’s day parade doesn’t really encompass the exact original values of Thanksgiving. Additionally, I think it has become a lot more family and home focused, similar to how Elizabeth Pleck describes the evolution of the Thanksgiving holiday into a “domestic occasion.” Nowadays, I feel like the main pillars of Thanksgiving are familial gathering, cooking, and romanticization of domesticity. There is not as much focus on the ideas of conquering new land and piety, although gratitude is still a major pillar.
The views of Thanksgiving, I believe, have undergone significant changes throughout time. The holiday, since its inception in the early 19th century, has undergone many changes, just as the cultural norms of society have. The early holiday was celebrated as most cultural harvest celebrations, as a religious, sporadically dated day to thank god for a good yield. As the U.S entered the 19th century and looked for reasons to perpetuate ideals of nationalism and belonging, Thanksgiving became a national holiday. The 19th century and early 20th century perpetuated the classic familial ideals and structure that those in power wished to preserve. During this period of profound economic change, women’s suffrage and the fight for equal rights, Thanksgiving served as a reminder of what was and directly combated the changing social and cultural landscape. And as the holiday entered into the 21st century, the reality of early America has begun to be expressed by those observing, a recognition of the imperialist past has come forth, and individuakls though they may still celebrate the holiday, acknowledge the complicated and violent past that led to the creation of this holiday
In my opinion, certain aspects, however, remain unchanged since the holiday’s inception in the 19th century. The secular consumerist feasting persists. Many individuals are still making the classic “colonial” dishes of turkey, potatoes, and cranberry sauce. It remains still a day of gathering for families and friends, and the aspect of giving thanks, though cloudy, is still the common theme for the holiday.
Thanksgiving’s meaning has changed significantly over time, shifting from a religious observance to a national ritual, then to a domestic family holiday, to eventually what we know now as a major cultural event. The readings show that the holiday is not a fixed tradition from its origin in 1621, but rather something deliberately shaped in the 19th century and continually reinterpreted. The holiday became closely tied to domestic life in the 19th century, and Elizabeth Pleck showed how Thanksgiving was reshaped into a family-centered celebration. This reinforced gender roles, especially for women’s responsibility for creating a value-centered home. The emphasis on togetherness was not just a personal tradition but was part of building a national culture grounded in white, Protestant, middle-class values. In this way, Thanksgiving functioned as a tool to teach immigrants and others how to follow “American” identity. The meaning of Thanksgiving also shifted historically and became more simplified. “The Story of the ‘First Thanksgiving” turns a complex historical moment into a foundational origin story centered on cooperation between Pilgrims and Native people. This story leaves out all the violence and power imbalances, instead presenting it as the beginning of the nation’s harmony.
Despite these changes, several core elements have remained consistent since the holiday’s invention. First, gratitude has always been a central theme. Hale framed Thanksgiving as a time to practice thankfulness, which continues in domestic celebrations and all over popular media. Second, Thanksgiving has constantly been used to promote unity. No matter where our country was at with modern politics or immigration, the holiday is always something Americans share. Third, just as Pleck showed how domestic ideals shaped the holiday, it has remained one of the most family-oriented celebrations in American culture today. The readings suggest that Thanksgiving has changed overtime but the underlying purpose has stayed consistent.
The meaning of Thanksgiving evolved considerably from the 17th to the 19th century. The first Thanksgiving celebrations were primarily motivated by religious purpose. The pilgrims celebrated this holiday by praising God, expressing gratitude, and sharing a meal. Many paintings often depict the pilgrims and indigenous people feasting in cohesion, which has recently been reconsidered and disproved. To honor the true relationship between the pilgrims and native people, Thanksgiving is recognized as a National Day of Mourning. Wampanoag activists established this acknowledgement in 1970 to highlight the genocide of native people that was disregarded by historians until recent. The holiday’s key themes of piety, devotion, and unification shifted away from a religious focus. This revision came after the Civil War’s conclusion when the New England specific holiday became a nationwide celebration. Thanksgiving also became more commercialized and materialistic illustrated through the Macy’s Day parade and Christmas shopping promotion. Thanksgiving began to center around consumerism and retail in tandem with sharing a meal and a sense of unity, which completely undermines the original meanings and celebration of Thanksgiving.
The aspects of Thanksgiving that have stayed static since the holiday’s invention in the early 19th century include traditional foods, a sense of community, and shared values. Traditional foods such as corn, pumpkin, and squash are considered Thanksgiving staples which stem from what the pilgrims served years ago. The food simulates the harvested crops pilgrims ate together in Plymouth. Thanksgiving is portrayed as a holiday concentrated around sharing a meal with family, peers, and a community celebrating key themes of gratitude, togetherness, and appreciation which have remained a constant throughout time.