THANKSGIVING THE TRUE STORY BY PENNY COLEMAN

In this wonderfully 114 pages of nonfiction text, Penny Coleman examines the numerous competing claims of the first Thanksgiving in the continental United States - This ACCURATE investigation is so interesting I was able to read Penny Coleman’s book in one sitting.
I had a great date with this book. I intend to use this accurate and well documented account of Penny Colman's investigation into the origins of the Thanksgiving Holiday when I teach History to high school students or as an adjunct at a College.
I love this very well documented book. . Penny Coleman and I are kindred spirits and I love her inspiration, her joyful investigation and her 21 pages of documentation and sources at the end of this treasure of a book. She even includes a wonderful Index which can lead into so many wonderful History projects for my students.
Penny Coleman rightfully credits Sarah Josepha Hale, the suffragist and newspaper woman as the person who gave us the 4th Thursday of November as a National Holiday and a wonderful american tradition. She gives us interesting and accurate facts about this woman who began her quest for a National Holiday that American women can participate in . Ms. Hale gave us this day to “ awaken in the American heart the love of home, country and thankfulness to God … and peace between brethren.”
Ms Coleman first began her investigation when she embarked on a survey of her favorite Holiday, Thanksgiving . She notes that her survey provided information on 12 events that compete for the first and true Thanksgiving ( Her book would make a great History channel program)
The events span from a Catholic Mass in 1541 held by the “Coronation Expedition” who thanked “Our Father” for finding food and supplies so that they would not starve to death - to 1610 in JAMESTOWN Virginia, a Thanksgiving service for the arrival of a desperately needed supply ship.- to the most popular story of the separatist Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians held at Plymouth that most Americans believe is the first Thanksgiving.
The 12 events she investigates have several different settler groups of several different Christian sects sitting down with a host of Indian tribes before and after our favorite “Thanksgiving” in Plymouth.
MS. COLEMAN ACCURATELY documents the 12 claims with many credible documents.
The First claim - is the Menendez Expedition with the Timucuan Indians in 1565 - a Catholic and Floridian tribe sitting down and feasting together. This is actually celebrated each year by the locals who have a museum of their documented findings. Menendez invited the Indian Chief known as Seloy to the celebration Mass and this account has been written down in the Book The Cross in the Sand.
The Thanksgiving event that wins the case of “ First Thanksgiving” by accurate documentation is the account found on page 18 of Miss Coleman’s book. The Berkeley Plantation decree of the First Continental United States Thanksgiving.
In Bold Letters an order is given to the Expedition by their Nation of origin’s government stating “WE ORDER that this day ….SHALL PERPETUALLY be Kept HOLY AS A DAY OF THANKSGIVING… to those who sailed ON THE MARGARET yo Virginia in 1619…” Ms Coleman presents the evidence from Historian John Smyth of Nibley who kept this “ Thanksgiving Day Order” in England and sold them to the New York Library .
The chain of evidence is perfectly kept in Newspaper reports in the `1960’s and Ms Coleman presents this perfect chain of evidence. As the jurist I would say that this is the true First Thanksgiving in the United States .
I would argue for my ancestor John Winthrop of the Massachusetts Bay Company as the Father of Thanksgiving. ( I did a genealogical search and through his daughter Lucy Winthrop - I am the descendant of John Winthrop).
John Winthrop, who has been often quoted recently by famous people from Ronald Reagan to Preacher Jonathan Cahn , - as the one who coined the phrase “ Our Nation, a shining city on a hill - “ held two documented Thanksgiving celebrations, one in 1630 & 1631. His Thanksgivings were documented by the historian Arthur Guiterman in the early 1800’s.
Of course, I am arguing for my legacy, but I must confess as a Juris Doctor that the Berkeley Plantation documentation beats our claim by 70 years..
Ms Coleman makes her case for Squanto and the Pilgrims based on the ancient tradition of harvest festivals. Her book accurately portrays the beginnings of Harvest Festivals in hieroglyphs of the Ancient Egyptians and the Biblical documentation of The Hebrew Feast of Tabernacles still celebrated as the Festival of Sukkoth .
Additionally, archeology, and traditions presently kept proves that Native Americans also had Harvest Festivals. The event that involved the Plymouth Pilgrims lasted for weeks as The Native American today continue week long harvest festivals.
Many times our government has decreed a National Day of Thanksgiving. Beginning December 18, 1777 by Our Continental Congress to 1789 when President George Washington, at the behest of Representative Boudinot, decreed a National Day of Thanksgiving. Washington then proclaimed it again in 1795, as did many other leaders of our country.

However, Our National Congress were not requested to legislate the National Holiday until the early days of Women’s suffrage. While Susan B Anthony and her cohorts were campaigning for the Women's vote, it was Sarah Josepha Hale that was asking for a bill in Congress to establish a National Day where women of America can participate.
“ It was Sarah Hale’s contention that “This Nation should have a festival the women can fully participate unlike that of the masculine and war soaked Holidays of President’s Day and the 4th of July . she wrote in newspapers, and to every leader she could think of
Finally , Hale wrote to Abraham Lincoln in 1863
entreating.. In glorious Autumn.. “ .. Dear Lincoln, please proclaim the last Thursday of November as a National Holiday that women can participate in ,
A Day of National Thanksgiving”
page 52-53 of Miss Coleman’s accurate account
Her campaign to Lincoln and Our Congress culminated in the Declaration found in the Joint Resolution of both House of Representatives and the Senate
HJ RESOLUTION #41
ordering
“... the last Thursday in November shall be a National Holiday”
passed unanimously in October of 1941
After presenting the Historical case that lead to this Joint Resolution for Our National Holiday, Ms Coleman then shares whimsical art, advertising and publicity on this Holiday from as early as the late 1700’s.
Penny Coleman notes the marriage between Thanksgiving and football began in 1891 with the celebrated Yale and Princeton Football match documented in many newspapers across this Nation.
Miss Coleman then accurately shares how our culturally diverse nation has many different cultures who have established traditions with this Holiday. The Latino community has the first catholic celebration of the Menendez exhibition and Chief Seloy at Catholic mass in Spanish Florida. She then shares several very local traditions that have sprung up everywhere which celebrates diverse cultural events.
Locally it wouldn’t be a Southern Louisiana Thanksgiving without Mirliton and shrimp dressing and this kind of local tradition is found in every state and locale in our country.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK as a required reading to inspire very diverse group activities from perhaps a Spanish Menendez Nerf Ball team in full spanish expedition garb vs PLYMOUTH Pilgrim VS Berkeley Plantation and Winthrop's Massachusetts Bay Company vs JAMESTOWN, ETC - NERF BALL TEAMS to teach our students that History is fascinating and can provide an opportunity for a NERF BALL GAME AND A feast in class. ( )

1 - cultures and traditions, holidays; 5 - touches on pieces of history 1491-Am. Revolution, Do we keep as k-5 because of holiday connections? - Yes! . 5 colonization. Text complexity limits its usefulness in lower grade levels but does work as a resource for primary teachers. 5th H1/H2 G2.

This was definitely an interesting and abbreviated read about Thanksgiving. I can say I truly enjoyed the thought of exploring the origins of this holiday since almost everyone knows the origins of our other "holidays".

What bothered me most about the book were the original twelve claims but none of them were truly touched upon. There was maybe a sentence or two plus the graph giving what promotional information was given for it, the year and of course the reasoning behind it for the thanksgiving. Otherwise with the exception of the "Pilgrims and Indians" there wasn't anything to get your teeth on with those early times of celebration.

The author did a good job of working upon the subject and introducing us to some history that is normally not covered. But also as a result she ended out leaving out other parts of information that we know a bit about that would have been interesting to get a bit more so altogether information-wise the book was just an introductory book for those who are curious about Thanksgiving while not more.

The pictures, the inclusions of survey answers and the author's own memories make it a bit more personal to the reader but I didn't like the way that she ended it with all those questions towards the end. So the book just ends up evenly balancing itself out to me. ( )

I'm sick in bed and NaNo is over for the year, so I can finally catch up on some book reviewing.

"Thanksgiving: The True Story" is exactly what it claims to be. Amazingly for a book on the subject of America's most controversial holiday, it keeps an even tone *and* a firm grip on reality.

It begins with what seems like a simple question: what was the first Thanksgiving? Colman explores 12 competing claims. In the course of doing so, she helps us sort out fact from fantasy. She delves into what she calls "the 'pilgrim and Indian' story." She discusses, with obvious admiration but without hero worship, the woman who spent decades trying to get Thanksgiving declared a national holiday. She writes movingly of what Thanksgiving has meant and continues to mean to recent immigrants to America.

My son and I both read this book for a history unit this November. I want to say "I strongly recommend this," but that doesn't go far enough. This book should be required reading for all ages. ( )