Episodes

  • Thanksgiving From Regional Feast to National Holiday

    Thanksgiving From Regional Feast to National Holiday
    Oct 2 2025
    Episode Three: From Regional Feast to National Holiday traces Thanksgiving's transformation from scattered Puritan thanksgiving days and regional harvest celebrations into a unified national observance. This episode reveals how Sarah Josepha Hale's decades-long campaign through Godey's Lady's Book, combined with Abraham Lincoln's eighteen sixty-three Civil War proclamation, created Thanksgiving as we know it. The episode explores regional resistance, particularly from the South which viewed it as a Yankee holiday, the standardization of the turkey-centered menu through women's magazines and commercialization, and Franklin Roosevelt's controversial attempt to change the date. It examines how Thanksgiving has both unified and divided America, serving as a site of contestation over immigration, women's labor, civil rights, and Indigenous perspectives while remaining a flexible tradition adapted by diverse communities.
    Click here to browse handpicked Amazon finds inspired by this podcast series!

    https://amzn.to/42YoQGI

    This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
    Show More Show Less
    39 mins
  • Ancient Harvests and the Roots of Thanksgiving

    Ancient Harvests and the Roots of Thanksgiving
    Oct 2 2025
    Episode One: Ancient Harvests and the Roots of Thanksgiving explores the rich harvest traditions of Indigenous peoples across North America that existed thousands of years before the Mayflower arrived. From the Haudenosaunee's Three Sisters agricultural system and year-round thanksgiving ceremonies, to the Pacific Northwest's elaborate First Salmon rituals, to the Wampanoag's seasonal celebrations that blended farming, fishing, and gathering, this episode reveals sophisticated cultures deeply connected to the land through reciprocity and gratitude. The episode also examines European harvest festivals, particularly English Harvest Home celebrations and Puritan thanksgiving days, showing how these traditions would eventually collide with Indigenous practices to create the foundation for modern Thanksgiving.
    Click here to browse handpicked Amazon finds inspired by this podcast series!
    https://amzn.to/42YoQGI

    This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
    Show More Show Less
    38 mins