Let’s Talk Turkey!

Guess what time it is! Thanksgiving Time!

The Classic “First Thanksgiving” Image doesn’t look too different from Thanksgiving now but there definitely is something different to it!

It is arguably the most American holiday -no religious ties, no prejudice, just plain old fun, food, and festivity. But what made it so popular? So widely accepted? So distinctively American? It is simply astounding how a simple harvest dinner in 1621 with the Pilgrims and Native Americans has become possibly the biggest national holiday. Although we’ve certainly deviated from the original Thanksgiving, who’s to say that these changes weren’t for the good, more practical side of things? The little changes we made in history gave us this festive holiday today, one might even go as far as to calling these changes as Burkean changes. But what is most interesting, is the social contract we make with national holidays “not only between those who are living, but between those who are living, those who are dead, and those who are to be born” (Burke).

For Starters, let’s talk about why Thanksgiving is the largest American holiday -after all, we do have several holidays that compete to be ‘The American‘ holiday. On that lineup of made-in-America holidays are Independence Day, MLK day, Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day (the original), Columbus Day, and a handful of others; but none of them surmount to the celebratory scale of Thanksgiving. Certainly, this term ‘American’ has a different meaning here than the rest of the world (world-view-American). But in my honest opinion, it is Why we celebrate Thanksgiving that makes it not only American but also a part of a social contract.

Food is Always part of Thanksgiving FOOD!!!

The biggest change from Thanksgiving in 1621 and Thanksgiving today, is the absence of religion or at least the necessity of religion at the table. To the Pilgrims, and possibly Burke +/- philosophers at his time, the lack of prayer at certain Thanksgiving dinners would be absolutely appalling. While we aren’t really sure when this change was made, most Americans would agree that the absence of religion helped spread Thanksgiving to all Americans (we are diverse af -by af I mean ‘a fact’). But one thing that never really changed much is the food… FOOD!

Food at Thanksgiving tables is probably the Burkean of all changes in Thanksgiving. In our social contract regarding this holiday, we as a nation agreed to keep bountiful amount of food as a sacred tradition especially at this dinner. Furthermore, the turkey has become a symbol for this holiday -a memorial for all Americans to honor the Thanksgiving Days of the past and those to come. To Americans today, it isn’t primarily about thanking God for harvest like the Pilgrims did nor is it about celebrating harvest in general! The holiday itself has become akin to values like family, unity, and happiness. Hence in our Burkean change to remove the necessity of religion or other themes from the original Thanksgiving, we created a template for unity among the inhabitants of this great nation. In support of our national identity as Americans, Thanksgiving trumps all other holidays in our social contract.

Furthermore, the celebration of family and happiness in union, bolsters our values even more than Christmas. Instead of praising religious ideals like Christmas, Thanksgiving reminds us of the joy in being American -the joy in sharing happiness in our never-ending pursuit of happiness. In this social contract, there is no property to protect, no imminent threat to defend against, and certainly no harm in any fashion. Instead, this small section of our social contract as a nation includes the most important of all functions: celebration of our being in a social contract.

We are not required to thank religion or the government (as often it is referred to like one); we have simply agreed, as one united nation, to give thanks to ourselves for the contract we have made to celebrate -without it a holiday cannot be a holiday. We have agreed, to give our rights (to work, to gain more material goods by working, to rest, to protest, etc.) unto the contract so that on this very day, we give ourselves a day of festivity -no business, no fuss, but simply celebrations of ourselves on making this day possible. What greater component of society and commonwealth is there? No other holiday, not even Christmas, celebrates the people and people alone. (PLAY the Video before you read more!)

Today, we as a nation of people of all backgrounds, histories, and cultures, celebrate our pride and virtue in being American. Let it be heard to all nations, that today be the day we celebrate ourselves. Be it Burkean changes that brought us here or our social contract, what has become of Thanksgiving and what it will continue to be for future Americans will always be for the good of all Americans.

And so my fellow Americans, gather around the table today and celebrate in all your different ways not how great it is to be part of nation or this national holiday but how awesome it is to be American. Thank your friends, family, and all those around you because America wouldn’t be America without a day of giving thanks for all there has been, for all there is, and for all that will be. God bless America, and Thank you all for being who you are.