Letters from an American – November 26, 2025

Host: Heather Cox Richardson
Theme: The Real History and Significance of Thanksgiving in America

Episode Overview

This episode, narrated by historian Heather Cox Richardson, delves into the true historical origins and evolving meaning of Thanksgiving in America. Richardson challenges the sanitized myth of the Pilgrims and "first Thanksgiving," examining instead how the holiday was reinvented during the Civil War to heal national divisions and support the ideals of freedom, democracy, and unity.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The True Origins of Thanksgiving

• The oft-cited 1621 harvest celebration between the Pilgrims and Wampanoag at Plymouth was quickly forgotten after it happened.
• The story was "overwritten by the long history of the settlers attacks on their indigenous neighbors." (00:17)
• Modern emphasis on this event re-emerged only in the 19th century through reprints of historical diaries and letters.

2. Sarah Josepha Hale and the National Holiday

• In 1841, the story of the 1621 celebration was revived through publication, inspiring Sarah Josepha Hale, editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book.
• Hale lobbied tirelessly for a national day of Thanksgiving, believing it could ease tensions between the North and South as conflict over slavery escalated.
• The notion was to use a shared holiday as a salve for sectional conflict.

3. Thanksgiving and the Civil War

• On April 12, 1861, the outbreak of the Civil War at Fort Sumter transformed Thanksgiving’s meaning.
• The Southern states seceded to create an oligarchy based on enslavement:

  "Southern leaders wanted to destroy the United States of America and create their own country, based not in the traditional American idea that all men are created equal, but rather in its opposite—that some men were better than others and had the right to enslave their neighbors." (02:54)

• The North, led by Lincoln, fought to defend democracy and equality.

4. Thanksgiving as a Unifying and Reflective Act

• By the end of 1862, the Union was struggling, and public morale was low.
• Seventeen state governors declared state Thanksgivings to both honor sacrifice and inspire resolve.
  • New York Gov. Edwin Morgan’s proclamation:

    "The previous year is numbered among the dark periods of history... But this was nonetheless a time for giving thanks, he wrote, because the precious blood shed in the cause of our country will hallow and strengthen our love and our reverence for it and its Institutions..." (04:26)

5. Lincoln’s National Proclamations

• July 15, 1863: Lincoln proclaims first national Day of Thanksgiving—the tide had finally shifted toward victory.
  • Gettysburg and the fall of Vicksburg marked turning points.
  • On Aug. 6, 1863, ministers cited these "signal Victories" and reinforced unity and sacrifice.
• October 1863: Lincoln declares another Day of Thanksgiving, emphasizing national blessings despite war:

  "In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, he wrote, Americans had maintained their laws and their institutions... and it kept foreign countries from meddling with their nation." (06:17)

• Lincoln assures the nation that freedom and unity would prevail, with the promise of ending slavery.

6. Gettysburg Address and Thanksgiving

• November 19, 1863: Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address reframes national purpose around liberty and equality:

  "Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." (06:59)

• Lincoln calls on Americans to "highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain... that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth." (07:25)

7. Thanksgiving & Emancipation

• The following year, Lincoln’s Thanksgiving proclamation hails immigration and emancipation as blessings.

  "[Lincoln wrote] he has been pleased to animate and inspire our minds and hearts with fortitude, courage and resolution sufficient for the great trial of civil war... and to afford to us reasonable hopes of an ultimate and happy deliverance from all our dangers and afflictions." (07:50)

8. Enduring Meaning

• Richardson closes by emphasizing that the fight in 1861 was to keep democracy from being overtaken by oligarchy.
• Americans "rallied and threw their hearts into the cause... for a government that defended democracy and equality before the law." (08:08)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "The Pilgrims and the Wampanoags did indeed share a harvest celebration together at plymouth in fall 1621, but that moment got forgotten almost immediately, overwritten by the long history of the settlers attacks on their indigenous neighbors." – Heather Cox Richardson (00:16)
• "Southern leaders wanted to destroy the United States of America and create their own country, based not in the traditional American idea that all men are created equal, but rather in its opposite..." – Heather Cox Richardson (02:54)
• "Our government and institutions placed in jeopardy have brought us to a more just appreciation of their value." – Quoting Gov. Edwin Morgan (04:36)
• "In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, he wrote, Americans had maintained their laws and their institutions..." – Quoting Lincoln’s October 1863 Proclamation (06:17)
• "Government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth." – Quoting Lincoln, Gettysburg Address (07:25)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | Highlight | |-----------|-------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------| | 00:00–01:45 | The myth vs reality of the first Thanksgiving | The faded memory of the 1621 event and its rediscovery | | 01:46–03:40 | Pre-Civil War tensions & origins of the holiday | Sarah Hale, sectional strife, and the holiday’s repurposing | | 03:41–05:00 | Civil War crisis and governors’ proclamations | Reflecting on loss, unifying resolve | | 05:01–06:17 | Lincoln’s first Thanksgiving and shifting tides | Military victories spurring hope | | 06:18–07:25 | Lincoln’s second Thanksgiving & Gettysburg Address | Endurance of democracy, call for renewed purpose | | 07:26–08:14 | Emancipation and enduring meaning | Thanksgiving as hope through sacrifice |

Conclusion

Richardson uses the history of Thanksgiving to remind listeners that the holiday’s deepest roots are tied to the fight for freedom, democracy, and national unity, born from times of deep crisis—not just harvests and feasts. Its most important legacy is not myth, but the collective resolve to defend and improve the nation for all its people.