The Secret Truth Behind Thanksgiving! Melanie Kirkpatrick
Inspire Nation Show with Michael Sandler
Michael Sandler
4.6 • 945 Ratings
🗓️ 27 November 2025
⏱️ 55 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What's the real story behind Thanksgiving, and what does it truly mean today? In this inspiring and eye-opening episode, Michael Sandler sits down with Melanie Kirkpatrick, award-winning author, journalist, and historian, to uncover the deeper truth behind one of America's most cherished holidays. Together, they explore Thanksgiving's surprising origins, forgotten traditions, and timeless message of gratitude, unity, and renewal.
From the pilgrims' perilous journey and the first harvest feast shared with the Wampanoag people to the contributions of Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Sarah Josepha Hale (the "Godmother of Thanksgiving"), this episode takes you on a fascinating journey through 400 years of history. You'll discover why Thanksgiving was never just about turkey and pumpkin pie, but about hope, generosity, and the power of coming together.
Key Topics:
- The true origins of Thanksgiving and how it became a national holiday.
- The pilgrims' first feast and the remarkable story of Squanto.
- How Native American and colonial relationships shaped the early celebration.
- The forgotten women who helped make Thanksgiving what it is today.
- Why President Lincoln made Thanksgiving a unifying day during the Civil War.
- The surprising history of "Franksgiving" and how politics changed the date.
- The meaning of the "five kernels of corn" tradition.
- Why gratitude, and generosity, are the true heart of the holiday.
This episode is a heartfelt reminder that Thanksgiving is more than a feast, it's a celebration of faith, resilience, and gratitude that unites us all. Perfect for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the holiday and inspiration to bring more meaning to their own Thanksgiving table.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Are you ready to shine? Shine bright. Woo-hoo! Hi, everyone. |
| 0:26.4 | Welcome back. |
| 0:27.0 | I'm Michael Sandler, your host on Inspire Nation. |
| 0:29.1 | If you've ever wondered whether there's more to Thanksgiving than Turkey's shopping and football, |
| 0:34.2 | then do we have the Thanksgiving show for you. |
| 0:37.4 | Today I'll be talking with Melanie Kirkpatrick, |
| 0:39.5 | a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, former deputy editor of the Wall Street Journal's editorial |
| 0:44.3 | page, and the award-winning author of Escape from North Korea and her latest Thanksgiving. |
| 0:50.5 | And that's just what I want to be talking with her about today. What's the true holiday at the heart of the American experience? |
| 0:57.3 | That plus we'll talk about Franksgiving, on Thanksgiving, Mary had a little lamb, |
| 1:02.5 | why pumpkin pie is a myth, why no one landed at Plymouth Rock, |
| 1:07.2 | and why in the world a writer in Hong Kong might think Thanksgiving is Independence Day. |
| 1:13.0 | So welcome to the show, Melanie. Are you ready to shine? |
| 1:17.2 | I am looking forward to talking with you, Michael. Thanks for having me on. |
| 1:21.5 | Well, thanks for being on and a mighty, woo-hoo. |
| 1:24.7 | So before we dive right into things, I've got to ask, why do you want to write about Thanksgiving? |
| 1:32.8 | Many people ask me that, and it's usually prefaced by them saying that it's their favorite holiday. |
| 1:39.5 | I love Thanksgiving, too. |
| 1:41.8 | And shortly after September 11thth I became interested in the |
| 1:45.7 | holiday I was in downtown Manhattan on that day and watched the towers fall and |
| 1:52.1 | like many Americans I became interested in studying I guess more closely some of |
| 1:59.6 | our history and learning more about what it means to be an American. |
... |
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