A Short History of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving can be traced back to the 1621 celebration at the Plymouth Plantation, where the religious holiday was celebrated to give thanks to God for a good harvest. The three-day feast included 90 Native Americans and 53 Pilgrims. It is believed that the first Thanksgiving was modeled after a harvest festival that was held in England. The holiday continued to grow in popularity and by the late 1800s, it became a national holiday.

A brief history of the holiday

In the United States, Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. Originally, it was a day to give thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year. The holiday has its roots in religious and cultural traditions, but it has also been shaped by historical events.

The first recorded Thanksgiving celebration in North America took place in 1578 when English explorer Martin Frobisher held a feast to celebrate his safe return from a voyage to the Arctic. In 1621, another English explorer, James Bradford, held a similar feast to thank God for sparing the lives of pilgrims who had contracted scurvy during their journey from England to Plymouth, Massachusetts.

The Pilgrims did not celebrate Thanksgiving again until 1623 when they gave thanks for rain that ended a devastating drought.

The first Thanksgiving: What really happened?

In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians gathered for an autumn harvest feast that is now remembered as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in North America. But what really happened at the first Thanksgiving?

The Pilgrims, who sailed from England on the Mayflower in 1620, were seeking religious freedom. After a treacherous journey and a brutal winter that claimed half of their original number, they signed a peace treaty with the Wampanoag chief, Massasoit. The following fall, they celebrated their harvest with a three-day feast.

According to William Bradford’s account of the event, 90 Wampanoag men came to Plymouth to join in the festivities. The menu included venison, wild fowl, shellfish, berries, fruits, and vegetables. There was no turkey; that didn’t become part of the Thanksgiving tradition until later.

The Pilgrims and the Wampanoag: Who were they?

The Pilgrims were a group of English Puritans who came to North America in 1620 in search of religious freedom. The Wampanoag were a Native American tribe that lived in present-day Massachusetts. The two groups formed an alliance, which was crucial to the Pilgrims’ survival in their new home.

Without the help of the Wampanoag, the Pilgrims likely would not have survived their first winter in North America.

Thanksgiving today: How has it changed?

In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is now considered one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For nearly two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn’t until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.

Thanksgiving today is a far cry from the simple meal shared by the Pilgrims and Native Americans all those years ago. The modern holiday is a time for family gatherings, turkey dinners with all the fixings, football games, and of course, Black Friday shopping. Some traditions have remained constant over the years (the turkey dinner), while others have changed with the times (Black Friday).

Conclusion: What Thanksgiving means to us now

As the country celebrates Thanksgiving, it is important to remember the meaning of the holiday. For many, it is a time to give thanks for what they have. It is also a time to remember the history of the holiday and how it has changed over time.

Thanksgiving has always been about giving thanks, but the way we do it has changed over time. In the past, people would gather together and give thanks for their harvest. Today, we still give thanks for our blessings, but we also use the holiday as a time to spend with family and friends. We may not all agree on what we are thankful for, but that is part of what makes Thanksgiving special.

No matter what Thanksgiving means to you, it is a day to come together and appreciate all that we have.