Good Term Paper On The History And Relevance Of Thanksgiving

The mention of Thanksgiving rings joy, unity and nostalgia for those that are away from home. It follows that the modern society only separates people of the same family so much. Thanksgiving became popular over the years for the simple reason that it unites kith and kin in a form of homecoming event every year. As such, Thanksgiving is nearly as important as Christmas even though it remains second most popular holiday in America. It is the one holiday that brings in an estimated $15 billion to the turkey farming business in the United States. Such contribution alone is significant enough to illustrate the value of Thanksgiving to the people of America. It is thus a crucial part of the American culture and among the most treasured traditions of the Americans. Thanksgiving however, originated from New England. A female journalist by the name Sarah Hale is among the people that encouraged the creation of Thanksgiving as a holiday. Initially, it was an annual festival in appreciation of good harvest and bounty. It was first celebrated by Wampanoag Indian warriors and The New England Pilgrims in 1621. Thanksgiving was one of the tools that the community during that time used to maintain the peace and togetherness of the people in the society. Furthermore, the supporters of Thanksgiving thought of it as a good way to avert the civil war even though it did not aid the situation and the war occurred. This essay seeks to implore the nature of Thanksgiving and the manner in which it has impacted the modern American society. It looks into the history of Thanksgiving, its developments and contributions to the American culture.
With the dynamic changes that occurred during the seventeenth century through to the twenty first century, the need for a unifying factor became more than just an accessory, it was a need. The characteristic modern day America spells out individualism and busy schedules that do not allow people to meet as often as they did in previous centuries. Thanksgiving encourages traditional values as cooking and the unity of a family in different activities. The main agenda of the occasion was to encourage the praising of God and gratefulness to Him for the different gifts that the nation enjoyed especially peace and prosperity. Abraham Lincoln was greatly involving in the making of Thanksgiving a national holiday in the United States. In his opinion, Thanksgiving was a time to take a break from the hectic business of working and networking in order to appreciate the little things that aid greatness and that human beings often overlook. For this reason, Thanksgiving was a holiday to appreciate the rewards that a country’s people obtained from hard work. On that day they would appreciate the values through which they arrived at the point of success that they were. The citizens of America would celebrate the opportunity to work and to remain healthy and peaceful. They would thank God for every good thing that He had bestowed upon them before working on for the next one year. However, there are more aspects to Thanksgiving with the modern day.
The holiday of Thanksgiving has been commercialized greatly in the modern day. It involves a complete holiday package with activities other than cooking and eating. In the present day, Thanksgiving involves the watching of games such as the Super Bowl, the decoration of homes and the cooking of turkey. These are trademark activities that signify the occasion of Thanksgiving. Furthermore, American companies also engage in a great deal of advertisement during this period. The commercialization of Thanksgiving has thus benefited a great deal of companies from all over the country. It does not mean however, that the authenticity of the holiday is lost since Americans base the occasion more importantly on the traditional values. Some of the families still pride themselves in celebrating Thanksgiving upcountry in the serenity of the countryside. In this manner, they take a break from the hectic life of the cities and