English materials on the origins of Thanksgiving
Core historical overview
In 1620, about 102 English settlers known as the Pilgrims arrived aboard the Mayflower and founded Plymouth Colony (in presentday Massachusetts) after a voyage of about 66 days.
The first winter was devastating, and more than half of the settlers died from starvation and epidemics.
In the spring of 1621, members of the Wampanoag people, including Tisquantum (Squanto), taught the survivors to grow native crops such as corn, beans, and pumpkins, and helped them adapt to the new land.
In late September/early autumn 1621, the Pilgrims held a threeday harvest feast to give thanks; the Wampanoag joined them, contributing about five deer. The meal featured venison, wild fowl (including wild turkey), seafood, squash, pumpkins, and other local produce.
From harvest feast to national holiday
For the next century and a half, days of thanksgiving were observed at different times by the American colonies and, later, the United States.
On October 3, 1789, George Washington issued a proclamation calling for a national day of “public thanksgiving and prayer.”
In 1863, Abraham Lincoln declared a national Thanksgiving, and in 1941 the U.S. Congress established the fourth Thursday of November as the regular, recurring date for the holiday.
Traditions and symbols today
Thanksgiving is a major family reunion holiday marked by a large midday or earlyafternoon meal.
Signature dishes include roast turkey with stuffing and pumpkin pie; tables often also feature cranberry sauce, corn, and seasonal produce.
Parades, football games, and community gatherings are common across the country.
Other early thanksgiving observances
Some scholars also recognize December 1619 at Berkeley Hundred (Virginia)—where English settlers led by Captain John Woodlief held a day of thanksgiving for their safe arrival—as an early precedent among European settlers in North America.