Reflections Weeks 13-14

One of the most interesting things I learned in the readings this week about Thanksgiving was that the Iroquois Confederation provided a model for Franklin to draw upon in constructing the Articles of Confederation. The tidbit that surprised me the most was in reading the history of the first Thanksgiving and learning that most of the food on our Thanksgiving menu does not even compare to that of the Pilgrim’s menu. While the Pilgrims feasted on wild fowl, venison, seal, lobster, grapes, and onions, just to name a few, ham, potatoes, pumpkin pie, and cranberries were not on their menu. I think it is interesting that the turkey has become the symbol of our Thanksgiving today, while it was only a minor part of the Pilgrim’s meal. I also found Fern Leaves, 1st series “Thanksgiving Story” interesting because the children were poor and hungry when they had once been wealthy. It steered my mind in a thankful direction as I began to appreciate how thankful I was to be able to celebrate and have a normal Thanksgiving, despite this suffering economy.