The Surprising Story of the First Thanksgiving

Plus: Why We Should Still Celebrate the Pilgrims at Thanksgiving

Nov 22, 2018   Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours from The Daily Signal's team in Washington. Americans have so much to be thankful for, regardless of how their guy or gal did in the midterm elections. Jarrett Stepman and Tracy McKenzie remind us of the true roots of the first Thanksgiving in the New World. And here are some terrific trimmings: Virginia Allen on the history of presidential pardons for Thanksgiving turkeys, Nolan Peterson on a Thanksgiving with Ukrainian soldiers, and John York on the poet who was the "godmother" of America's national holiday.     Commentary The Surprising Story of the First Thanksgiving At the first Thanksgiving, the Pilgrims would have been sitting on the ground, eating with their hands, and their dinner food likely included a lot of meat—and possibly eels. More News In a Turkey Day 'Recount,' Trump Pardons Both Peas and Carrots "Even though Peas and Carrots have received a presidential pardon, I have warned them that House Democrats are likely to issue them both subpoenas," says President Trump. More Commentary Here's Why We Should Still Celebrate the Pilgrims at Thanksgiving While later conflicts would ensue between the Pilgrims' descendants and the descendants of the Indians who feasted with them, the initial contact between the cultures was positive and beneficial. More Commentary Meet the Woman Who Helped Make Thanksgiving a US Holiday Sarah Josepha Hale saw Thanksgiving as an important supplement to the nation's principal civic holiday: Independence Day. While Independence Day celebrates the birth of our nation, our Founding Fathers, and our founding principles, Thanksgiving celebrates the origins of the American people, family, and faith in God. More Analysis Podcast: The History of Thanksgiving Tracy McKenzie, author of "The First Thanksgiving: What the Real Story Tells Us About Loving God and Learning from History," joins us to talk about the history of Thanksgiving in America. More Special Feature 'My Soul Is Here': A Thanksgiving on the Front Lines of the War in Ukraine More and more, it feels like the only true thing is what we experienced on the front lines. Therein lies the danger of bringing a piece of home with you. Because when the war begins to feel a little like home, you can never truly leave it. More           The Daily Signal is brought to you by more than half a million members of The Heritage Foundation. Donate to The Daily Signal Find us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter How are we doing? We welcome your comments, suggestions, and story tips. Please reply to this email or send us a note at comments@dailysignal.com. The Daily Signal 214 Massachusetts Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002 (800) 546-2843     Add morningbell@heritage.org to your address book to ensure that you receive emails from us. You are subscribed to this newsletter as johnmhames@comcast.net. If you want to receive other Heritage Foundation newsletters, or opt out of this newsletter, please click here to update your subscription.

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