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Thanksgiving: The Biography of an American Holiday
In this, the first in-depth study of the most American of holidays, James Baker sweeps away lingering myths and misconceptions to show how this celebration day was born and grew to be an essential part of our national spirit. Thanksgiving: The Biography of an American Holiday opens with an overview of the popular mythos of the holiday before discussing its possible religious and cultural precedents. This classic Yankee holiday is examined in historical and contemporary detail that embraces everything from proclamations, sermons, and local and regional traditions to family reunions, turkey dinners, and recipes. Thanksgiving's evolving face is illustrated with charming and often revealing period prints that chart our changing attitudes: the influence of Victorian sentiment in Thanksgiving's development, Progressive utilitarianism, intellectual "debunking," patriotic wartime reclamation, and 1960s-era protest. Thanksgiving remains controversial up to the present day, as Mayflower descendants, Native Americans, and commercial exploiters compete for the American public's opinion of the holiday's contemporary significance and its future status. This is an intelligent and illuminating introduction to a beloved holiday and a fascinating cultural history of America and Americana.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 7, 2012
I'll come back to this one next November. It was boring and redundant in parts, but if I'd been reading it on my own, I definitely would have finished it. Since I was reading it with my husband and our "read together" time is pretty rare with 3 preschoolers, we'll have to try again next year.
Anyway, if there can be a foremost expert on Thanksgiving, Baker must be it. You'd think that would be a plus in a book about Thanksgiving, but I think this would have been a more interesting read for the layperson if it had been written by a journalist, rather than a historian. This book would have benefited greatly from endnotes. As it was, Baker seemed unable to leave any detail out, and restated things so many times that I literally had to check to make sure I hadn't accidentally started reading a section I'd already finished. Nope, apparently he just gives no credit to the intelligence of his readers.
Okay, that aside, there were so many interesting facts. For example, I loved learning about how "Thanksgivings" in Puritan New England were a response to Fast Days. First you fast for the blessing, then you give thanks when you receive it. Giving thanks was more characterized by attending a lot of church on a weekday than by eating a big meal (being a Puritan would have seriously sucked), so, as you might have guessed, the first Thanksgiving wasn't a Thanksgiving at all, but was actually a harvest festival. Anyway, like I said, I would have liked to read more, because the information was interesting. Sadly, the presentation was lacking.
Anyway, if there can be a foremost expert on Thanksgiving, Baker must be it. You'd think that would be a plus in a book about Thanksgiving, but I think this would have been a more interesting read for the layperson if it had been written by a journalist, rather than a historian. This book would have benefited greatly from endnotes. As it was, Baker seemed unable to leave any detail out, and restated things so many times that I literally had to check to make sure I hadn't accidentally started reading a section I'd already finished. Nope, apparently he just gives no credit to the intelligence of his readers.
Okay, that aside, there were so many interesting facts. For example, I loved learning about how "Thanksgivings" in Puritan New England were a response to Fast Days. First you fast for the blessing, then you give thanks when you receive it. Giving thanks was more characterized by attending a lot of church on a weekday than by eating a big meal (being a Puritan would have seriously sucked), so, as you might have guessed, the first Thanksgiving wasn't a Thanksgiving at all, but was actually a harvest festival. Anyway, like I said, I would have liked to read more, because the information was interesting. Sadly, the presentation was lacking.
November 15, 2022
"The myth, or the tradition, as it is sometimes called, has necessarily a touch of the imagination, and imagination is almost always more fascinating than truth."
This book explains the "why" behind the symbolism and stories of this American holiday. A holiday of simple fasting, prayer, and a family meal, evolved with the help of art, fictional books, times of need to unify the country, and even capitalism.
I am someone who has always had a natural curiosity about Thanksgiving. I have watched a documentary about its history, I visited the Plimoth Patuxet Museum in Massachusetts, and watched the National Geographic Mini-series, "Saints and Strangers." However, this was my first book about the holiday, and I enjoyed it! I had no idea the manuscript, "Plymouth Plantation" had been stolen and taken to England during the British occupation! Thank goodness it wasn't destroyed, fascinating. Without that, we might have an entirely different holiday story, as "... it was not the oldest or first area settled, nor were Englishmen the first or only settlers."
I liked how James Baker organized the book, and the content of each chapter, but most of all I enjoyed his critical analysis of everything. He was redundant at times, and included more examples than necessary, however, I felt like he did a good job being fair, and included different perspectives. What I loved most about his writing, were his conclusive analyzing statements throughout (hence the many saved quotes).
I recommend this book to all Americans, and to our youth in middle school, and high school. We should present them with a more accurate history of the holiday as soon as possible.
"If our opinions of Thanksgiving were determined by the imagery we were exposed to in grade school, then those opinions...will always seem more real than alternatives we are offered later, such as those which criticize the common stereotypes. Unprecedented ideas take more much more effort to assimilate, and if they are too strange or we are not particularly concerned with testing our prejudices, they are likely to be rejected whether they are more accurate or not."
"In Standish of standish, Austin presents a fictionalized, sentimental account of the first Thanksgiving centered on an outdoor feast." Thanksgiving used to be an early winter depicted holiday. With scenes of snow and sleighs.
"The harvest theme became prominent only when the people celebrating the event were divorced from the land, through moving to cities and suburbs, and started thinking about their agricultural heritage and the pilgrim story." "Also, the sentimental culture of the mid- 19th century would look back at the homie and less complicated rural lifestyle of The Early Republic and glorify Thanksgiving as a holiday epitomizing the virtues many citizens felt had been lost in the industrialization and modernization of American culture."
"The growing pains of the Republic and the divisive issues of the era made people long for the (imagined) stability of the "good old days.""
"Evocation of emotional states and the manipulation of feelings by sentimental literature transformed Thanksgiving from a sober religious occasion followed by a decorous family dinner into an indulgent domestic centered spectacle imbued with nostalgia, social sympathies, and narratives of melodramatic family predicaments."
"Until the technological revolution in print took place, there had been few visual representations of thanksgiving. Popular perceptions of the holiday were shaped entirely through personal experience or by hearing and reading about it."
The Thanksgiving story changed depending on the needs of each generation. "Invented traditions such as that of the pilgrims evolve or are introduced to replace the Lost traditions and customs that provided social cohesion and cultural continuity in pre-industrial societies…"
"... The pilgrims first Thanksgiving… fulfilled the cultural desire for a romantic origin for the holiday and also provided the pilgrims with the new role as tolerant American peacemakers…"
"The need to "Americanize" not only new immigrants but also the rising generations became a major concern for progressive educators and community leaders of the turn of the 20th century."
"By the mid 20th century, however, coffee, cigarettes, coca-cola, wine, liquor, beer, TV dinners, came good, and Jello we're all being offered as first rate Thanksgiving staples, and the pilgrim feast was presented as a shining example of American consumerism, courtesy of Madison avenue."
Consensus history. "The consensus view of the past simplified the complexity of History by constructing a single, uplifting narrative for popular consumption, following the imperatives of the 1945 hit song to "accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative."
"...there is a pervasive cultural attitude in America that the past, if not all together irrelevant, is as malleable as the future, as subject to the will as the present." Ronald wright
"On one hand, the conservative Evangelical community has waged a spirited defense of the classic first Thanksgiving story and the traditional significance of the pilgrims in American society. At the other extreme, however, the native American community and its allies have continued their attack on the Thanksgiving myth to the extent of attempting to establish a new myth in place of the older one."
"...the problem is that each myth presents dangerously partial view that prevents any true appreciation of the issues involved. The more strenuously that partisans of each extreme insists that their perspective is the only entirely truthful one despite clear evidence to the contrary, the more likely it will be that the American public will feel free to ignore them. This serves only to negate the real lessons that are Thanksgiving tradition can provide."
"The centuries of violence and neglect that their cultures suffered before and after 1621 are trivialized and ignored in the glow of the single mythological moment."
This book explains the "why" behind the symbolism and stories of this American holiday. A holiday of simple fasting, prayer, and a family meal, evolved with the help of art, fictional books, times of need to unify the country, and even capitalism.
I am someone who has always had a natural curiosity about Thanksgiving. I have watched a documentary about its history, I visited the Plimoth Patuxet Museum in Massachusetts, and watched the National Geographic Mini-series, "Saints and Strangers." However, this was my first book about the holiday, and I enjoyed it! I had no idea the manuscript, "Plymouth Plantation" had been stolen and taken to England during the British occupation! Thank goodness it wasn't destroyed, fascinating. Without that, we might have an entirely different holiday story, as "... it was not the oldest or first area settled, nor were Englishmen the first or only settlers."
I liked how James Baker organized the book, and the content of each chapter, but most of all I enjoyed his critical analysis of everything. He was redundant at times, and included more examples than necessary, however, I felt like he did a good job being fair, and included different perspectives. What I loved most about his writing, were his conclusive analyzing statements throughout (hence the many saved quotes).
I recommend this book to all Americans, and to our youth in middle school, and high school. We should present them with a more accurate history of the holiday as soon as possible.
"If our opinions of Thanksgiving were determined by the imagery we were exposed to in grade school, then those opinions...will always seem more real than alternatives we are offered later, such as those which criticize the common stereotypes. Unprecedented ideas take more much more effort to assimilate, and if they are too strange or we are not particularly concerned with testing our prejudices, they are likely to be rejected whether they are more accurate or not."
"In Standish of standish, Austin presents a fictionalized, sentimental account of the first Thanksgiving centered on an outdoor feast." Thanksgiving used to be an early winter depicted holiday. With scenes of snow and sleighs.
"The harvest theme became prominent only when the people celebrating the event were divorced from the land, through moving to cities and suburbs, and started thinking about their agricultural heritage and the pilgrim story." "Also, the sentimental culture of the mid- 19th century would look back at the homie and less complicated rural lifestyle of The Early Republic and glorify Thanksgiving as a holiday epitomizing the virtues many citizens felt had been lost in the industrialization and modernization of American culture."
"The growing pains of the Republic and the divisive issues of the era made people long for the (imagined) stability of the "good old days.""
"Evocation of emotional states and the manipulation of feelings by sentimental literature transformed Thanksgiving from a sober religious occasion followed by a decorous family dinner into an indulgent domestic centered spectacle imbued with nostalgia, social sympathies, and narratives of melodramatic family predicaments."
"Until the technological revolution in print took place, there had been few visual representations of thanksgiving. Popular perceptions of the holiday were shaped entirely through personal experience or by hearing and reading about it."
The Thanksgiving story changed depending on the needs of each generation. "Invented traditions such as that of the pilgrims evolve or are introduced to replace the Lost traditions and customs that provided social cohesion and cultural continuity in pre-industrial societies…"
"... The pilgrims first Thanksgiving… fulfilled the cultural desire for a romantic origin for the holiday and also provided the pilgrims with the new role as tolerant American peacemakers…"
"The need to "Americanize" not only new immigrants but also the rising generations became a major concern for progressive educators and community leaders of the turn of the 20th century."
"By the mid 20th century, however, coffee, cigarettes, coca-cola, wine, liquor, beer, TV dinners, came good, and Jello we're all being offered as first rate Thanksgiving staples, and the pilgrim feast was presented as a shining example of American consumerism, courtesy of Madison avenue."
Consensus history. "The consensus view of the past simplified the complexity of History by constructing a single, uplifting narrative for popular consumption, following the imperatives of the 1945 hit song to "accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative."
"...there is a pervasive cultural attitude in America that the past, if not all together irrelevant, is as malleable as the future, as subject to the will as the present." Ronald wright
"On one hand, the conservative Evangelical community has waged a spirited defense of the classic first Thanksgiving story and the traditional significance of the pilgrims in American society. At the other extreme, however, the native American community and its allies have continued their attack on the Thanksgiving myth to the extent of attempting to establish a new myth in place of the older one."
"...the problem is that each myth presents dangerously partial view that prevents any true appreciation of the issues involved. The more strenuously that partisans of each extreme insists that their perspective is the only entirely truthful one despite clear evidence to the contrary, the more likely it will be that the American public will feel free to ignore them. This serves only to negate the real lessons that are Thanksgiving tradition can provide."
"The centuries of violence and neglect that their cultures suffered before and after 1621 are trivialized and ignored in the glow of the single mythological moment."
December 2, 2012
Picked this up because of some laughable claims made by certain groups in my area about this holiday. Also, thought it would be interesting to bone up on some US history.
Basically, most of the legends and stories told about the origins of Thanksgiving are false and most of the traditional elements are add-ons from each generation. The pilgrims didn't believe in annual holidays and they didn't get along with the natives particularly well. Having a day of thanks could happen any day of the year and was set by the clergy. The pumpkin pies and football of today replaced fasting, prayer, and church service. As for parades, a fun way for department stores to kick off the Christmas shopping season -the pilgrims would have been mortified. Despite the layers and changes through the last few hundred years, thankfully, Thanksgiving has managed to remain a day of family.
I found this book to be highly informative; I do agree with previous reviewers that the book is dull and repetitive.
Basically, most of the legends and stories told about the origins of Thanksgiving are false and most of the traditional elements are add-ons from each generation. The pilgrims didn't believe in annual holidays and they didn't get along with the natives particularly well. Having a day of thanks could happen any day of the year and was set by the clergy. The pumpkin pies and football of today replaced fasting, prayer, and church service. As for parades, a fun way for department stores to kick off the Christmas shopping season -the pilgrims would have been mortified. Despite the layers and changes through the last few hundred years, thankfully, Thanksgiving has managed to remain a day of family.
I found this book to be highly informative; I do agree with previous reviewers that the book is dull and repetitive.
November 28, 2010
I couldn't get out of the first chapter. The writing is dry and not a style I prefer. The author often repeats himself making this a very long read. I will be looking for a different book on the history of the first Thanksgiving.
May 5, 2014
A bit dry, but overall a very informative book about Thanksgiving and the history surrounding this holiday.
December 11, 2013
A bit boring.
December 23, 2020
I loved reading about how the holiday of Thanksgiving has culturally changed throughout the years. While it could at times be a bit of a dry read with too many (I would argue unimportant or uninteresting) details, it was still an entertaining read to learn more about this holiday.
November 4, 2023
An outstanding collection of facts, stories and reasons of what makes this holiday the impactful juggernaut that it is.
January 15, 2014
This is a very accessible history of what post modern Americans consider our national holiday. Well, in was once a moveable feast, one that was declared as opposed to fixed. In its early days it certainly modeled the Old World harvest festival, but has morphed into its current expression over the last two centuries. Mr. Baker has indeed written a biography of our American holiday--note the emphasis on the notion of biography.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews