A Holiday of Kindness: Sarah Josepha Hale and the Establishment of Thanksgiving

A Holiday of Kindness: Sarah Josepha Hale and the Establishment of Thanksgiving
"The First Thanksgiving" as recounted in a story by Jane Austen in a painting, circa 1912-1915, by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris. Library of Congress. Public Domain
Kate Vidimos
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Every year, during the last Thursday of November, we exclaim: “Happy Thanksgiving!” This wish conveys the hope, fellowship, thankfulness, and kindness of the season.

However, this kind, annual wish was not started during a feast between the Indians and the first Pilgrims, as is typically depicted. The “First Thanksgiving” that is usually celebrated and taught is actually based on a fictional story written in 1895 by Jane G. Austin in her work “Standish of Standish: A Story of the Pilgrims.”

Kate Vidimos
Kate Vidimos
Author
Kate Vidimos is a 2020 graduate from the liberal arts college at the University of Dallas, where she received her bachelor’s degree in English. She plans on pursuing all forms of storytelling (specifically film) and is currently working on finishing and illustrating a children’s book.
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