Brief History of Thanksgiving

adamzurn

2 years ago

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Thanksgiving, a beloved holiday marked by feasts, gratitude, and cherished moments with loved ones, has a deep-rooted history that extends far beyond the familiar scenes of a family gathered around a table laden with turkey and pumpkin pie. Here is a brief history of Thanksgiving’s evolution from December 18 to the third Thursday of November.

In 1620, the Mayflower set sail, carrying a group of English Pilgrims seeking religious freedom in the New World to the shores of what would later become Plymouth, Massachusetts. After a challenging first winter, the Pilgrims forged alliances with the Wampanoag Native Americans, leading to a three-day feast in the fall of 1621, often considered the first Thanksgiving. This event symbolized unity, gratitude, and the spirit of sharing that would later become synonymous with the holiday.

*The First Thanksgiving, 1621 by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris.*

While sporadic days of thanksgiving occurred in the years that followed, it wasn’t until the American Revolution that the first national Thanksgiving was proclaimed from York by the Continental Congress on November 1, 1777, to be celebrated on Thursday, December 18. It was written by Sam Adams of Massachusetts, “the father of the revolution,” who advocated for the first time “one day of public thanksgiving” for all of the states after the battle of Saratoga when British General John Burgoyne surrendered, “that with one heart and one voice, the good people may express the grateful feelings of their hearts.”

This tradition continued, with presidents issuing sporadic thanksgiving proclamations varying in dates and even months, with celebrations in February (1795) and April (1815), but it wasn’t yet an annual occurrence.

In the 19th century, prominent magazine editor and author Sarah Josepha Hale tirelessly advocated for a national day of Thanksgiving. Her efforts came to fruition when President Abraham Lincoln, in 1863, officially declared Thanksgiving a national holiday. This annual observance aimed to foster unity during a tumultuous time in American history—the Civil War. Since then, Thanksgiving has been celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November, inviting people across the nation to express gratitude for the blessings of the year.

During Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Presidency, the last Thursday in November fell on the last day of the month twice, in 1933 and 1939. Concerned that the shortened Christmas shopping season might dampen the economic recovery, large business owners lobbied Roosevelt to move the holiday up a week. Finally, on December 26, 1941, President Roosevelt signed the resolution establishing the fourth Thursday in November as the federal Thanksgiving Day holiday. The law went into effect the following year, ushering in the modern Thanksgiving that we know today.