View Full Forums : The Real Story of Thanksgiving, according to BF


Panamah
11-28-2005, 11:22 AM
There's a new biography of Ben Franklin coming out, from one of his ancestors, called " The Compleated Autobiography". Here's what BF wrote about the true founding of Thanksgiving. Love it!

The Real Story of the First Thanksgiving

By Benjamin Franklin (1785)

There is a tradition that in the planting of New England, the first settlers met with many difficulties and hardships, as is generally the case when a civiliz’d people attempt to establish themselves in a wilderness country. Being so piously dispos’d, they sought relief from heaven by laying their wants and distresses before the Lord in frequent set days of fasting and prayer. Constant meditation and discourse on these subjects kept their minds gloomy and discontented, and like the children of Israel there were many dispos’d to return to the Egypt which persecution had induc’d them to abandon.

At length, when it was proposed in the Assembly to proclaim another fast, a farmer of plain sense rose and remark’d that the inconveniences they suffer’d, and concerning which they had so often weary’d heaven with their complaints, were not so great as they might have expected, and were diminishing every day as the colony strengthen’d; that the earth began to reward their labour and furnish liberally for their subsistence; that their seas and rivers were full of fish, the air sweet, the climate healthy, and above all, they were in the full enjoyment of liberty, civil and religious.

He therefore thought that reflecting and conversing on these subjects would be more comfortable and lead more to make them contented with their situation; and that it would be more becoming the gratitude they ow’d to the divine being, if instead of a fast they should proclaim a thanksgiving. His advice was taken, and from that day to this, they have in every year observ’d circumstances of public felicity sufficient to furnish employment for a Thanksgiving Day, which is therefore constantly ordered and religiously observed.

Aidon
11-28-2005, 02:26 PM
There's a new biography of Ben Franklin coming out, from one of his ancestors, called " The Compleated Autobiography". Here's what BF wrote about the true founding of Thanksgiving. Love it!


You can always count on goy'im to get it confused.. =P

Sure there are fast days aplenty...but the 'Israelites' have had thanksgiving since coming out of Egypt. We call it Sukkot.

Thicket Tundrabog
11-28-2005, 02:44 PM
What I noticed was Benjamin Franklin's spelling of the word 'labour'. Since he is one of the Founding Fathers, doesn't that make the revisionist spelling 'labor' unconstitutional or something? After all, what's good enough for a Founding Father should be good enough for us, right. I don't recall a Spelling Amendment in the Constitution. :)

Panamah
11-28-2005, 02:46 PM
I don't think BF should be consulted on spelling, look how what he did to civilized and disposed. I mean... is it so much work to write an "e" versus an apostrophe?

Arienne
11-28-2005, 02:51 PM
And from that point on... the American waistline has never been the same.


What I noticed was Benjamin Franklin's spelling of the word 'labour'. Since he is one of the Founding Fathers, doesn't that make the revisionist spelling 'labor' unconstitutional or something? After all, what's good enough for a Founding Father should be good enough for us, right. I don't recall a Spelling Amendment in the Constitution. :)Fortunately a LOT of things Franklin did won't declared constitutional requirements. They didn't call them founding FATHERS for nothing! :P

Cantatus
11-28-2005, 03:02 PM
I don't think BF should be consulted on spelling, look how what he did to civilized and disposed. I mean... is it so much work to write an "e" versus an apostrophe?

Spelling has evolved in the past 200+ years. :) It was much more of an "anything goes" at that time from what I've seen.

Fyyr Lu'Storm
11-28-2005, 03:12 PM
I don't think BF should be consulted on spelling, look how what he did to civilized and disposed. I mean... is it so much work to write an "e" versus an apostrophe?

I believe that is because the ed ending was pronounced as -ED. Its own syllable.

Not like how we pronounce it today, as just the singular -d or -t sound ending.

Like Ban-ish-shed from Romeo and Juliet.
Not Ban-ish'd as we say it today. And how BF wanted it pronounced when read.

weoden
11-28-2005, 07:45 PM
I don't think BF should be consulted on spelling, look how what he did to civilized and disposed. I mean... is it so much work to write an "e" versus an apostrophe?

Spelling has changed a lot over the centuries. Also, Americans use an American English dictionary which should not be confused with an English dictionary.

Lerdari
11-28-2005, 09:20 PM
I don't think BF should be consulted on spelling, look how what he did to civilized and disposed. I mean... is it so much work to write an "e" versus an apostrophe?

I wonder if it was printed, and he used an ' to save a precious e for his press.

Panamah
11-29-2005, 10:42 AM
Good point, Lerdari!

Arienne
11-29-2005, 12:00 PM
I wonder if it was printed, and he used an ' to save a precious e for his press.If that's the reason... he would have LOVED text messaging! :D