Alternate Holiday
What If:
Americans kept Guy Fawkes
day, in some way, shape, or form. The problem starts with General
Washington, who thought that the holiday was a possibility for trouble
between the American soldiers and their French Allies. This was a
smart thing, actually, as the effigy burnt during the holiday was sometimes
Guy Fawkes, other times the Pope. Either way it was a clear anti-Catholic
holiday, which would have strained relations between the Americans and
French. Washington's decision was a wise one.
But what if the Holiday
was able to continue in another way, as an anti-King George III Holiday.
Washington again may step in to block this holiday, but he might be persuaded
not to by an advisor. Late in the war, it was clear that the Colonies
would not happily join the British Empire again, they would either be granted
independence or suffer a harsh peace. By the time the French have
entered the war, an anti-King George III Holiday would be likely.
King George
Day:
On November 5 late in
the American Revolution, the American soldiers and their French Allies
begin the practice of King George Day. It remains very unchanged
from the earlier Guy Fawkes Day. A makeshift Crown is made to show
that the effigy is King George and not the Pope or Guy Fawkes. The
bonfires remain, and everyone is happy.
The Holiday has its ups
and downs. During the terms of Washington and Adams, the Holiday
is frowned on by the Federalists who dislike it's Anti-British basing.
Federalist strongholds instead celebrate Thanksgiving, at various times
throughout November. In the South, where support for Thanksgiving
is small but the British are disliked, the Holiday is a popular get together.
With the election of
Jefferson, and the following bad relations with Britain leading up to the
War of 1812, the Holiday spreads like wildfire across the Nation.
In former Federalist strongholds, the Holiday blurs together with Thanksgiving.
Most celebrations happen in November, but the date on the 5th is no longer
important and sometimes the Holiday is celebrated late in the Month.
An Official
Holiday:
Up until the American
Civil War, King George Day had not been an official national holiday.
Each state would set a date for it, some not celebrating it at all.
Only during times of bad relations with the British, such as during the
Oregon Territory Dispute, will the Holiday take on clear anti-British tones.
Most of the time it is a Harvest Festival, with the bonfire burning being
a community happening, a chance to get everyone together to celebrate the
good Harvest.
President Lincoln declared
Thanksgiving Day an official Holiday in 1863, a time to give thanks both
for the good Harvest and for the freedom enjoyed by Americans. It
is mostly a way to boost moral in the Union Troops, but after the war the
Southern states continue to celebrate it as they had before the War.
The third Thursday in November is the national day of Thanksgiving, often
called King Day or Harvest Day in some places.
The 20th
Century:
During the 20th century,
as the population of the United States became increasingly urban, new Thanksgiving
traditions emerged. The day after Thanksgiving gradually became known
as the first day of the Christmas shopping season. Efforts by FDR
to make Thanksgiving earlier, giving more time for Holiday shopping, eventually
failed.
Late in the Century,
the Religious Right began to mount a strong opposition to both Halloween
and Thanksgiving. The effigy, they claim, is a representation of
Christ being burnt by Pagan rituals. This claim is based on that
the crown used by the effigy is usually made of branches, or thorns.
Both Halloween and Thanksgiving begin to decline in the Plains States and
the South because of this. The collapse of a large Bonfire at a Texas
University in 1999, killing three students, also highlights true dangers
with the Holiday.
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