Putting God Back into Thanksgiving!

Sadly, the world we live in today has forgotten not just the concept of Thanksgiving but also the origins behind it and the very one to whom we give thanks. Secular curricula, and even some Christian curricula, have taken God out of Thanksgiving. The whole point of Thanksgiving was to give thanks to our Almighty God! As teachers, it is our job to give students the truth, and that includes the truth about Thanksgiving.

We as teachers have the duty of passing on the truth about Thanksgiving’s origins. It isn’t just “Turkey Day.” The Pilgrims’ journey to America to seek religious freedom is such an important part of American history. When we realize the harsh journeys those brave souls endured to make it to a new land and the horrible conditions, harsh weather, sickness, and even death that they faced, we gain a new perspective on what it means to give thanks in all circumstances. Those determined individuals could have given up and gone home, but they decided to stay. God’s providence is seen clearly in how he protected and provided for them through individuals like Samoset and Squanto, and their stories should be taught to every generation to inspire giving thanks to God for all things big and small.

Thanksgiving was never meant to be just a feast but a day of worship.

But the story doesn’t end with the Pilgrims. In 1777, while America was still fighting for independence, the Continental Congress issued The First National Thanksgiving Proclamation, setting aside December 18, 1777, as a day of prayer and thanksgiving. The proclamation urged Americans to gather in their churches to praise God for his blessings, confess their sins, and pray for his continued favor on the new nation. It clearly shows that Thanksgiving was never meant to be just a feast but a day of worship, recognizing that “it is the indispensable Duty of all Men to adore the superintending Providence of Almighty God.”

As time went on, presidents like George Washington and John Adams continued issuing their own thanksgiving proclamations, often in late November. Then in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving a permanent national holiday, declaring the last Thursday of November to be a day to thank “our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.” Finally, in 1941, Congress set the official date as the fourth Thursday of November, where it remains today.

Understanding this timeline helps students see that Thanksgiving was never about turkey or parades—it was about a nation humbling itself before God in gratitude and repentance.

What are some ways to bring this into the classroom?

• Devote some history time to cover the Mayflower voyage, the Mayflower Compact, and the first year of the Pilgrims’ settling in America. Discuss the trials that had to be overcome and how God used people such as Samoset and Squanto to help the Pilgrims survive and thrive in their new land.
• The episode “The Mayflower Voyagers” from the educational program This Is America, Charlie Brown is an effective Thanksgiving tool in any classroom, regardless of your students’ ages. It has a concise, cartoonish way of telling the events that still manages to keep the focus on God and his goodness. This often prompts students to ask their teacher questions. Be ready with factual answers.
• In English classes, be sure to seek out readings that discuss Thanksgiving, including Abraham Lincoln’s proclamation of a national day of thanksgiving. You can even go back to the first congressional proclamation of 1777 to show that Thanksgiving was never meant to be merely a simple feast with friendly Indians, but a sacred occasion to honor our Heavenly Father who pours out his blessings on his people.

In addition to using resources that help teach about Thanksgiving, we must also demonstrate giving thanks in our everyday lives. Do our students know us to be thankful individuals? Do we just teach them the words “Give thanks in all circumstances” (I Thessalonians 5:18), or do we live those words in front of them? Remember, it takes thankful teachers to teach thankful students.