Lexi Kokosa ’26
EE Staff Writer
Thanksgiving is a holiday that the majority of Americans celebrate today, but its origins go much further than people recognize. From the famous feast of the pilgrims and Native Americans, to Abraham Lincoln’s proclamation, Thanksgiving’s history is filled with stories of survival, gratitude, and unity. Here is a journey through time to see how Thanksgiving became one of the nations most beloved holidays.
The story of Thanksgiving starts in the Autumn of 1621. In Plymouth, Massachusetts, the Pilgrims, English settlers who came to the New World on the Mayflower, were celebrating their first successful harvest. The Pilgrims had gone through a harsh winter with little to no food, and many people had gotten sick and/or died. They were helped by the Wampanoag, a Native American tribe, who had shown them essential skills, like planting corn and catching fish.
After this strong harvest, the Pilgrims invited the Wampanoag to join them for a feast that lasted three days. While nobody recorded the exact menu, it is said they ate deer, corn, shellfish, and wild turkey.
Though the 1621 feast is what is usually talked about when on the topic of thanksgiving, it wasn’t an official holiday for a long time. For years, different colonies and states had their own days of thanksgiving, after good harvests or important events. The early thanksgiving were usually religious gatherings and usually focused on giving thanks for specific blessings/victories.
The idea of thanksgiving as a national holiday only started to catch on in the 1800s. A woman named Sarah Josepha Hale, a writer and editor, believed that a national day of thanks would bring Americans together. She wrote letters to several presidents and published articles encouraging people to support the idea of thanksgiving as a holiday. After years of her efforts, Abraham Lincoln finally declared Thanksgiving as a national holiday in 1863, during the Civil War. He hoped it would help to heal a divided country.
At first, Thanksgiving was celebrated on the last Thursday in November, but in 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved it up by one week. His goal was to extend the holiday shopping season to help the economy during the Great Depression. However, this change had people confused, some celebrated on the third Thursday and some stayed with the last. In 1941, Congress passed a law setting Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday in November, creating the tradition followed today.
Thanksgiving has come a long way since 1621, some people think of turkey, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie as essential thanksgiving foods, many weren’t on the menu at the original feast. Today, Thanksgiving is about family gatherings, big meals, and even social events. One famous event is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, which has been held since 1924 and millions watch every year.
It also serves as a time for Americans to think about what they are grateful for. Schools, families, and communities often hold food drives or serve meals to help those in need as a way of giving back, keeping the spirit of gratitude alive.
Thanksgiving is more than just a holiday; it’s a reminder of resilience, cooperation, and gratitude. From the hardships of the Pilgrims to Lincoln’s hope for unity, Thanksgiving’s history shows how important it is to come together, appreciate each other, and be thankful for what we have. As families gather, enjoy delicious food, and share holiday spirit, there is a tradition that has grown to truly represent unity and kindness in America.