The Early Days of Thanksgiving

In 1621, New England Puritans celebrated their harvest with a big feast, as was the English tradition. In those days, Forrest says a minister or governor could declare a Thanksgiving at any time as a way to thank God for something good that had happened. Colonists would spend the day praying in church and then share a big meal.

"We know very little what early colonists ate on these days, but it would have been seasonal. We have no evidence that turkey was an especially symbolic part of the table, but might well include pork, lamb, wild fowl, and game," Forrest says.

Our National Bird

Forrest also notes the influence that Benjamin Franklin had on our relationship with turkeys. For decades, there has been a widely circulated myth that Benjamin Franklin proposed turkeys be deemed the "national bird." The story isn't true1, but Franklin did muse in a letter to his daughter about the choice of the bald eagle as a representative of our country saying, "the Turkey is in Comparison a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America." The myth, nonetheless created an indelible association between our national identity and turkeys. As for the holiday, George Washington called for the first national Thanksgiving in the late 1700s, but it didn't become an annual holiday until 1863, when Abraham Lincoln was president.

"It wasn't until the 1800s that turkey became the symbol of the Thanksgiving table, but still, it was not unusual to also include other fowl," Forrest says.

How Turkey Became Tradition

In 1796, Amelia Simmons released American Cookery, believed to be the first cookbook published in America. Simmons' cookbook included several recipes for indigenous turkey, including boiling it. (Psst...please don't do that if you want to cook the best, most flavorful bird. Stick to roasting, grilling, or safely frying.)

"Another author, Sarah Hale, was a driving force behind the institutionalization of Thanksgiving as an annual, national holiday. She very much saw a roasted turkey as the centerpiece of the celebration, but also included beef, pork, mutton, goose, ducklings, and chicken pie," Forrest says.

Since turkey is one of the few types of meat that we eat that is indigenous to the Americas, it holds a particular role in the American imagination as iconic, she continues. While beef, pork, and lamb were brought to the Americas during the Great Exchange, turkey was here when the colonists arrived. Because of its similarity to chicken and other fowl that the early colonists knew and loved, they added it to their diets early on during their settlement.

How the Turkey Became a Thanksgiving Icon

After Norman Rockwell included turkey as part of the Thanksgiving spread in his 1943 painting, "Freedom From Want," and American magazines began showcasing turkeys on the covers of their November issues, turkeys became cemented in our minds as icons of the fall holiday.

The use of turkey as a Thanksgiving table centerpiece is also practical. It feeds a crowd and it's easier to find, less fatty, and more affordable than goose (which was the holiday table tradition in England and Europe until about the 19th century).

"As Thanksgiving can be an inclusive celebration where large numbers of people gather together to eat, a large turkey can feed a lot of people. It is a ritual meal rather than a banal one," Forrest says.

And since roasting a bird weighing 8+ pounds takes several hours (and few are willing to invest so much time in an average dinner), the tradition finds its place on special occasions.

"Not many of us have several hours to attend to roasting our dinner," Forrest says. But on Thanksgiving, "since a number of people have the day off from work, without other obligations, the structure of the holiday allows for it."

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Why Turkey Continues to Be a Thanksgiving Tradition

The beauty of turkey as a centerpiece to the Thanksgiving meal is that it is essentially a blank slate for what flavors you want to add to it. "It can really represent not only an American identity but other identities," Forrest says.

Since 1995, there has even been a vegan diet-friendly symbol of the turkey to roast and add to your table: Tofurky. The history of the turkey as part of the Thanksgiving tradition is long, but Forrest believes this turkey-inspired faux roast might just be the ultimate symbol of the holiday and America.

"This really conveys the idea that everyone is welcome at the table, which is part of the cornerstone of the very idea of the American Thanksgiving—to put aside one's differences and share a meal," she says.

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Frequently Asked Questions

• Who was the first president to pardon a turkey?
• The tradition of pardoning a turkey is often attributed to President Harry S. Truman, who received a turkey as a gift in 1947 from the National Turkey Federation but did not “pardon” the bird. Long before that, Abraham Lincoln was gifted a turkey and allowed his son Tad to keep it as a White House pet. President John F. Kennedy was also gifted a turkey in 1963 but spared the bird by saying, “Let’s keep him going.” It wasn't until 1989, with President George H.W. Bush, that the official turkey pardoning ceremony became an annual tradition.
• Has Thanksgiving always been celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November?
• No. In fact, the date we celebrate Thanksgiving has been controversial over the centuries since 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln established Thanksgiving as a national holiday to be celebrated on the last Thursday in November. In 1938, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt moved the holiday to the third Thursday of November to prolong the holiday shopping season and boost the economy. Then, in 1941, Congress passed a joint resolution to set the official date of Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday of November. The change went into effect in 1942.
• What are traditional sides served with turkey for Thanksgiving?
• Traditions vary by region and family, but most Thanksgiving tables include mashed or sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, stuffing, bread, vegetables, and pumpkin pie alongside the turkey.