Myths About Thanksgiving

Ed Ayers

Ed Ayers, Tucker-Boatwright Professor of the Humanities and a renowned historian, can speak to some of the myths that have formed about Thanksgiving in America.

"The turkey came to be the symbol for Thanksgiving, and the turkey almost became the American national bird, but the turkey would not have been the centerpiece of the table at the first Thanksgiving. That's because early American settlers, especially Puritans in New England, would not have seen a day of giving thanks as a day of feasting. Instead it would have been a day of fasting."

Contact Sunni Brown, director of media and public relations, at sbrown5@richmond.edu to connect with Ed Ayers.