This week on The Gutsy Chick Podcast, Amanda unpacks the real history of Thanksgiving — from the 1621 Wampanoag–colonist feast to the presidents who turned it into a national ritual of unity. 

Discover how the holiday’s meaning shifted from survival to myth, from prayer to consumerism — and how we can reclaim gratitude as truth-telling medicine today. 

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Thanks & Attribution

This episode draws on historical research about Thanksgiving’s evolution — including presidential proclamations, educational practices, and Indigenous perspectives.

Key sources consulted:

• George Washington Papers / Mount Vernon (Washington’s 1789 Proclamation)
• The American Presidency Project / Presidency.ucsb.edu (Evolution of Thanksgiving Proclamations)
• National Park Service (Lincoln & Thanksgiving history)
• U.S. National Archives Prologue blog (Thanksgiving as a federal holiday)
• Gilder-Lerhman Institute essay on Thanksgiving history
• Smithsonian Magazine feature on Thanksgiving myths & school pageants
• Time Magazine article on changing Thanksgiving lessons in U.S. schools
• Plimoth Patuxet Museums (Wampanoag-perspectives)
• National Museum of the American Indian / Paula Peters essay
• Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe website

We acknowledge the history we are unpacking is rooted in the ancestral lands of the Wampanoag people. We honor their continuing presence, resilience, and their voices today.

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