Originally published on November 25, 2015 (Episode 40)
Introduction
It’s Thanksgiving Eve, and Historically Thinking turns to the history of Thanksgiving itself. Al speaks with Tracy McKenzie of Wheaton College about how Thanksgiving was shaped, remembered, and mythologized.
From family meals to football, McKenzie shows how the holiday’s history reveals what it means to think historically—and how revisionism can be a good thing.
About the Guest
Tracy McKenzie is Professor of History at Wheaton College, Illinois, and author of The First Thanksgiving: What the Real Story Tells Us about Loving God and Learning from History (IVP Academic, 2013).
For Further Investigation
Tracy McKenzie, The First Thanksgiving: What the Real Story Tells Us about Loving God and Learning from History (IVP Academic, 2013)
Sam Wineburg, Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts (Temple University Press, 2001)
💬 Listen & Discuss
Why do holidays like Thanksgiving invite myth-making? How can understanding the real story deepen both gratitude and historical awareness?
