Week 10-Solomon Holzhauer-Thanksgiving

 Why do we have school the week of thanksgiving and everyone else in the whole country has it off? That is a good question that we will not be discussing in this blog. Thanksgiving is a national holiday, celebrating the harvest and other blessings of the past year. Americans believe that their Thanksgiving is modeled on a 1621 harvest feast shared by the English colonists (Pilgrims) of Plymouth and the Wampanoag people. Five fun facts about thanksgiving are, the first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621 over a three day harvest festival. It included 50 Pilgrims, 90 Wampanoag Indians, and lasted three days. It is believed by historians that only five women were present, turkey wasn’t on the menu at the first Thanksgiving. Venison, duck, goose, oysters, lobster, eel, and fish were likely served, alongside pumpkins and cranberries (but not pumpkin pie or cranberry sauce!), Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday on October 3, 1863. Sarah Josepha Hale, the woman who wrote “Mary Had A Little Lamb,” convinced Lincoln to make Thanksgiving a national holiday after writing letters for 17 years, the history of U.S. presidents pardoning turkeys is patchy. Harry Truman is often credited with being the first president to pardon a turkey, but that’s not quite true. He was the first to receive a ceremonial turkey from the National Turkey Federation – and he had it for dinner. John F. Kennedy was the first to let a Thanksgiving turkey go, followed by Richard Nixon who sent his turkey to a petting zoo. George H.W. Bush is the president who formalized the turkey pardoning tradition in 1989, and there are four towns in the United States named “Turkey.” They can be found in Arizona, TexasLouisiana, and North Carolina. Now thanksgiving is usually an excuse to get your family together and have a nice big meal, while showing what you are thankful for, not complaining.  

What are you doing this thanksgiving? Do you agree that we shouldn't have had school?



Comments

  1. Thanksgiving is actually my very favorite holiday as well as my favorite food if that makes any sense. This Thanksgiving my whole family came here to Florida from California and we celebrated with my sister's boyfriend as well. We also celebrated Hannukah because my siblings were leaving before the first night, so that only added way more fun.

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  2. This past Thanksgiving I had family in town, which was nice since I do not get to see them often. We also celebrated my dads birthday since it was about a week ago.

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