Every year, families worldwide gather around their dining room tables to indulge in delicious food, such as turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, macaroni and cheese, and so much more. While the feast is one of the main (and most fun) parts of Thanksgiving, it is also important to acknowledge how important this day truly is. On the surface, it says it in the name; it is a day when we are grateful for what we have. However, to expand on this shared knowledge further, Thanksgiving is when the United States honored early settlers and Native Americans, remembering when the natives helped the colonizers survive.
Thanksgiving was originated over 400 years ago, in 1621. Before it became a holiday, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by colonies to celebrate quality harvests and military wins. The English Colonists, now known as Pilgrims, and the Wampanoag people were grateful for their successful harvest in Massachusetts. The “First Thanksgiving” represented the cooperation the two groups displayed throughout the harvest. The Pilgrims had lost all hope that they would not be victorious with their harvest, for they were faced with a challenge, and that was winter time. Fortunately, the Wampanoag took it upon themselves to teach the Pilgrims helpful farming techniques to improve their harvest.
In 1789, George Washington declared a national thanksgiving day to honor the new U.S. Constitution, but it was not announced as an annual holiday. In the 19th century, writer and editor Sarah Josepha Hale advocated for the Thanksgiving holiday, gaining support from many with this idea. She was triumphant with her advocacy when Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863. Initially, he set it to be the final Thursday of November. He wanted this to symbolize the country’s unity during the Civil War. However, in 1941, Franklin D. Roosevelt declared Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday in November. This declaration was official, and it is what we have come to appreciate today: Thanksgiving.