- This event has passed.
The Myth of Thanksgiving – Postponed
November 17, 2022 @ 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Dr. Erika K. Jackson is a Professor of History at Colorado Mesa University who specializes in modern U.S. history with an emphasis on women’s and gender studies, as well as the cultural and social histories of girlhood, media, and the Midwest. She is the author of Scandinavians in Chicago: The Origins of White Privilege in Modern America (Illinois, 2019) and co-editor of the anthology, Nordic Whiteness and Migration to the USA: A Historical Exploration of Identity (Routledge, 2020).
The Myth of Thanksgiving
The topic of this lecture focuses on the various myths built around Thanksgiving, a holiday that did not begin in the 1600s, but in the 1800s as a the passion project of Sarah Josepha Hale, an “editress” for Godey’s Lady’s Book. We will discuss the origins of the actual meeting of Thanksgiving that occurred in 1621 and the myths that permeate our understandings of this American holiday, such as the “menu” of the first event, the cultural meanings of Thanksgiving in curriculum, and how foodways intersect with the context of celebration and patriotism.
This is part of the museum’s Tasting History series.
This event will be rescheduled for another time. Stay tuned!
