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83-574: Thanksgiving is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. Outside the United States, it is sometimes called American Thanksgiving to distinguish it from the Canadian holiday of the same name and related celebrations in other regions . The modern national celebration dates to 1863 and has been linked to the Pilgrims 1621 harvest festival since

166-517: A British expedition to Newfoundland . From there Tisquantum went back to his home, only to discover that, in his absence, epidemics had killed everyone in his village. Tisquantum succumbed to a fever in November 1622. The first settlers of Plymouth Colony (modern Plymouth, Massachusetts ), sited their colony at the location of a former Patuxet village, named "Port St. Louis" ( Samuel de Champlain , 1605) or "Accomack" ( John Smith , 1614). By 1616,

249-504: A Calvinist alternative to Christmas, and typically involving a return to the family home, church services, a large meal and various diversions ranging from games and sports to formal balls. These celebrations were gradually disseminated throughout the US as New Englanders spread across the country, accelerating after the Civil War. Sarah Josepha Hale , a native of New Hampshire and steeped in

332-466: A Pemaquid ( Abenaki ) sachem from Maine , introduced himself to the Pilgrims upon their arrival in 1620. Shortly thereafter, he introduced Tisquantum (who presumably spoke better English) to the Pilgrims, who had settled at the site of Squanto's former village. From that point onward, Squanto devoted himself to helping the Pilgrims. Whatever his motivations, with great kindness and patience, he taught

415-506: A Sabbath meeting, the Pilgrim observances were special days set aside during the week for thanksgiving and praise in response to God's providence." It's important to note that Baker's "New England Thanksgiving" does not refer to an annual commemoration of the Pilgrim's 1621 harvest celebration. Indeed, that 1621 event does not appear to have contributed to the early development of the modern holiday at all, as Bradford's "Of Plimoth Plantation"

498-465: A blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed, to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shown kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord. To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and Us, and generally to grant unto all Mankind such

581-402: A commonly-celebrated, patriotic holiday that would unite Americans in purpose and values. She viewed those values as rooted in domesticity and rural simplicity over urban sophistication. As a celebration of hearth and home, she also sought to cement a role for women within the identity of the young nation. Every November, Hale would focus her monthly magazine column on Thanksgiving, positioning

664-457: A day of thanksgiving to Almighty God". This celebration has, since the mid 20th century, been commemorated there annually at present-day Berkeley Plantation , the ancestral home of the Harrison family of Virginia . This early commemoration created the groundwork for what would later become a national custom, emphasizing the immigrants' strong religious faith and thankfulness for their survival in

747-527: A degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best. Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789. On January 1, 1795, Washington proclaimed a Thanksgiving Day to be observed on Thursday, February 19. President John Adams declared Thanksgivings in 1798 and 1799. Federal holidays in the United States Federal holidays in

830-427: A former Plimoth Plantation vice president of research, stated in 1996, "The event occurred between Sept. 21 and Nov. 11, 1621, with the most likely time being around Michaelmas (Sept. 29), the traditional time." Seventeenth-century accounts do not identify this as a day of thanksgiving, but rather as a harvest celebration. The Pilgrim feast was cooked by the four adult Pilgrim women who survived their first winter in

913-580: A mutual protection alliance between the Wampanoag, themselves greatly weakened by the same plague that extirpated the Patuxet, and the better-armed English in their long-running rivalry with the Narragansett , who had largely been spared from the epidemic; the Wampanoag reasoned that, given that the Pilgrims had brought women and children, they had not arrived to wage war against them. Squanto taught

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996-410: A recreation of the imagined "First Thanksgiving" to reinforce the Pilgrim narrative and the importance of the story to an understanding of U.S. history. These pageants continue in some parts of the U.S. today. Unfortunately, what these materials usually elide, gloss over or ignore altogether is what has brought controversy to the holiday in recent years. The First National Proclamation of Thanksgiving

1079-525: A special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruits of our labor. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week. At which time, amongst other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which we brought to

1162-535: A union contract, might only receive their standard pay for working on a federal holiday, depending on the company policy. Federal law also provides for the declaration of other public holidays by the President of the United States . Generally the president will provide a reasoning behind the elevation of the day, and call on the people of the United States to observe the day "with appropriate ceremonies and activities." Examples of presidentially declared holidays were

1245-400: Is Texas Independence Day , and "optional holidays", such as Good Friday . Private employers are not required to observe federal or state holidays, the key exception being federally-chartered banks. Some private employers, often by a union contract, pay a differential such as time-and-a-half or double-time to employees who work on some federal holidays. Employees not specifically covered by

1328-540: Is a Black English contraction, or portmanteau, of the month 'June' and the date 'Nineteenth'. Juneteenth celebrates the date of June 19, 1865, when enslaved people of African descent located in Galveston, Texas, finally learned of their freedom from the slavery system in the United States." President Biden's annual proclamation in 2024 began, "On June 19, 1865, freedom finally came for the 250,000 enslaved people of Texas. That day, which would become known as Juneteenth,

1411-536: Is a large employer, the holidays are expensive. If a holiday is controversial, opposition will generally prevent bills enacting them from passing. For example, Martin Luther King Jr. Day , marking King's birthday, took much effort to pass and for all states to recognize it. It was not until 2000 that this holiday was officially observed in all 50 states. The following list is an example of holidays that have been proposed and reasons why they are not observed at

1494-535: Is also typically regarded as the beginning of the holiday shopping season . The day following Thanksgiving, Black Friday , is often considered to be the busiest shopping day of the year in the United States. Days of thanksgiving, that is, days attributed to giving thanks to deities, have existed for thousands of years and long predate the European colonization of North America. Ranging from general harvest festivals to more specific holidays related to thanking gods for

1577-588: Is considered a paid holiday for federal employees in the Washington, D.C., area by the Office of Personnel Management . It is not considered a federal holiday in the United States equivalent to the eleven holidays mentioned above. Although many states recognize most or all federal holidays as state holidays, the federal government cannot enact laws to compel them to do so. States can recognize other days as state holidays that are not federal holidays. For example,

1660-421: Is doing no more than recognizing the cultural significance of the holiday". Most of the 11 U.S. federal holidays are also state holidays. Five of the "floating" date holidays always fall on a Monday; the remaining floating holiday, Thanksgiving, is always on a Thursday. The rest are on fixed dates. A fixed date holiday that falls on a weekend (Saturday and Sunday) is usually observed for federal employees on

1743-523: The Commonwealth of Virginia as early as 1607; the first permanent settlement of Jamestown, Virginia , held a thanksgiving in 1610. On December 4, 1619, 38 English settlers celebrated a thanksgiving immediately upon landing at Berkeley Hundred , Charles City. The group's London Company charter specifically required "that the day of our ships arrival at the place assigned for plantation in the land of Virginia shall be yearly and perpetually kept holy as

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1826-553: The District of Columbia . As a general rule of courtesy, custom, and sometimes regulation, other institutions, such as banks, businesses, schools, and the financial markets , may be closed on federal holidays. In various parts of the country, state and city holidays may be observed concurrently with federal holidays. The history of national holidays in the United States dates back to June 28, 1870, when Congress created national holidays "to correspond with similar laws of States around

1909-598: The American Revolutionary War, proclaimed a Thanksgiving in December ;1777 as a victory celebration honoring the defeat of the British at Saratoga . The Continental Congress , the legislative body that governed the United States from 1774 to 1789, issued several "national days of prayer, humiliation, and thanksgiving", a practice that was continued by presidents Washington and Adams under

1992-574: The Americanization of newcomers and the conscious formulation of a shared cultural heritage. Holiday observances in classrooms, including those for Washington's birthday, Memorial Day, and Flag Day "introduced youngsters to the central themes of American History and, in theory, strengthened their character and prepared them to become loyal citizens." Thanksgiving, with its non-denominational character, colonial harvest themes and images of Pilgrims and Indians breaking bread together peacefully, allowed

2075-594: The Army arrived to enforce what had already been the law of the land for two and a half years—the Emancipation Proclamation". On October 3, 1789, at the request of the U.S. Congress, President George Washington issued a Thanksgiving proclamation designating November 26, 1789 as a day of "public thanksgiving and prayer" for the "People of the United States”. Thanksgiving has been proclaimed in

2158-636: The Berkeley Hundred charter in Virginia prompted President John F. Kennedy to acknowledge the claims of both Massachusetts and Virginia to America's earliest celebrations. He issued Proclamation 3560 on November 5, 1963, saying: "Over three centuries ago, our forefathers in Virginia and in Massachusetts, far from home in a lonely wilderness, set aside a time of thanksgiving. On the appointed day, they gave reverent thanks for their safety, for

2241-782: The Constitution, and has manifested itself in the established American observances of Thanksgiving and the National Day of Prayer today. This proclamation was published in The Independent Gazetteer, or the Chronicle of Freedom , on November 5, 1782, the first being observed on November 28, 1782: By the United States in Congress assembled, PROCLAMATION. It being the indispensable duty of all nations, not only to offer up their supplications to Almighty God,

2324-529: The District...and...in every State of the Union." Although at first applicable only to federal employees in the District of Columbia , Congress extended coverage in 1885 to all federal employees. The original four holidays in 1870 were: George Washington's Birthday became a federal holiday in 1879. In 1888 and 1894, respectively, Decoration Day (now Memorial Day ) and Labor Day were created. Armistice Day

2407-593: The English the skills they needed to survive, including how best to cultivate varieties of the Three Sisters : beans, maize and squash. Although Samoset appears to have been important in establishing initial relations with the Pilgrims, Squanto was undoubtedly the main factor in the Pilgrims' survival. In addition, he also served as an intermediary between the Pilgrims and Massasoit , the Grand Sachem of

2490-595: The French. These days of thanksgiving were celebrated through church services and feasting. Historian Michael Gannon claimed St. Augustine, Florida , was founded with a shared thanksgiving meal on September 8, 1565. The thanksgiving at St. Augustine was celebrated 56 years before the Puritan Pilgrim thanksgiving at Plymouth Plantation (Massachusetts), but it did not become the origin of a national annual tradition. Thanksgiving services were routine in what became

2573-523: The House and Senate jointly request of President Washington to proclaim a day of thanksgiving for "the many signal favors of Almighty God". Boudinot said he "could not think of letting the session pass over without offering an opportunity to all the citizens of the United States of joining, with one voice, in returning to Almighty God their sincere thanks for the many blessings he had poured down upon them." As President, on October 3, 1789, George Washington made

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2656-630: The Means of Religion, for the promotion and enlargement of that Kingdom, which consisteth "in Righteousness, Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost. And it is further recommended, That servile Labor, and such Recreation, as, though at other Times innocent, may be unbecoming the Purpose of this Appointment, be omitted on so solemn an Occasion. George Washington , leader of the revolutionary forces in

2739-471: The New World (Eleanor Billington, Elizabeth Hopkins, Mary Brewster , and Susanna White ), along with young daughters and male and female servants. According to accounts by Wampanoag descendants, the harvest feast was originally set up for the Pilgrims alone (contrary to the common misconception that the Wampanoag were invited for their help in teaching the pilgrims their agricultural techniques). Part of

2822-610: The New World. Thanksgiving has developed from a local event in Virginia to a more generally known holiday across the United States. The Plymouth colonists, today known as Pilgrims , had settled in a part of eastern Massachusetts formerly occupied by the Patuxet Indians who had died in a devastating epidemic between 1614 and 1620. After the harsh winter of 1620-1621 killed half of the Plymouth colonists, two Native intermediaries, Samoset and Tisquantum (more commonly known by

2905-465: The People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness." Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to

2988-406: The Pilgrims how to catch eel and grow corn and served as an interpreter for them until he too succumbed to disease a year later. The Wampanoag leader Massasoit also gave food to the colonists when supplies brought from England proved insufficient. Having brought in a good harvest, the Pilgrims celebrated at Plymouth for three days in the autumn of 1621. The exact time is unknown, but James Baker,

3071-721: The Providence of Almighty God, to secure for these United States, the greatest of all human Blessings, Independence and Peace: That it may please him, to prosper the Trade and Manufactures of the People, and the Labor of the Husbandman, that our Land may yield its Increase: To take Schools and Seminaries of Education, so necessary for cultivating the Principles of true Liberty, Virtue and Piety, under his nurturing Hand; and to prosper

3154-612: The State of Texas recognizes all federal holidays except Columbus Day, and recognizes the Friday after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and the day after Christmas as state holidays. Texas does not follow the federal rule of closing either the Friday before, if a holiday falls on a Saturday, or the Monday after if a holiday falls on a Sunday. Offices are open on those Fridays or Mondays. Texas has "partial staffing holidays", such as March 2 , which

3237-501: The U.S. for various months and days of the week, including March, August, September, November, December, and on Sundays. Celebrated on December 25 around the world, Christmas is the day that Christians remember the birth and incarnation of Jesus Christ . Christmas has been celebrated for over 2,000 years. In the United States, Christmas Day as a federal or public holiday is sometimes objected to by various non-Christians, usually due to its ties with Christianity . In December 1999,

3320-684: The United States are 11 calendar dates designated by the U.S. federal government as holidays. On these days non-essential U.S. federal government offices are closed and federal employees are paid for the day off. Federal holidays are designated by the United States Congress in Title V of the United States Code ( 5 U.S.C.   § 6103 ). Congress only has authority to create holidays for federal institutions (including federally-owned properties), employees, and

3403-403: The Wampanoag (original name Ousamequin or "Yellow Feather" ). As such, he was instrumental in the friendship treaty that the two signed, allowing the settlers to occupy the area around the former Patuxet village. Massasoit honored this treaty until his death in 1661. In the fall of 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag shared an autumn harvest feast. This three-day celebration involving

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3486-400: The Wampanoag and neighboring Massachusett , with mortality reaching 100% in many mainland villages. When the Pilgrims landed in 1620, all the Patuxet except Tisquantum had died. The plagues have been attributed variously to smallpox , leptospirosis , and other diseases. Some European expedition captains were known to increase profits by capturing natives to sell as slaves . Such

3569-806: The Western Division of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio , in the case Ganulin v. United States , denied the charge that Christmas Day's federal status violated the Establishment Clause of the Constitution , ruling that "the Christmas holiday has become largely secularized", and that "by giving federal employees a paid vacation day on Christmas, the government

3652-470: The artful and unwearied attempts of the common enemy to divide them; the success of the arms of the United States and those of their allies; and the acknowledgment of their Independence by another European power, whose friendship and commerce must be of great and lasting advantage to these States; Do hereby recommend it to the inhabitants of these States in general, to observe and request the several states to interpose their authority, in appointing and commanding

3735-489: The belated June 19, 1865, announcement that enslaved people in the Confederate states had been freed by President Abraham Lincoln as of January 1, 1863. President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, which declared "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free". A National Park Service fact sheet explains that "the word 'Juneteenth'

3818-456: The bill that created Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day . It was first observed three years later, although some states resisted making it a state holiday. It was finally celebrated both nationally and by each of the states in 2000. Dr. King's birthday is January 15th. On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed the law that made June 19th a federal holiday. Officially designated as " Juneteenth National Independence Day ", Juneteenth commemorates

3901-631: The celebration as a pious, patriotic holiday that lived on in the memory as a check against temptation, or as a comfort in times of trial. Hale and Godey’s led the way in creating a standardized celebration, which in turn created a standardized celebrant — a standardized and true American. Her vision aimed at a broad audience: The stories in Godey’s depicted Black servants, Roman Catholics, and Southerners celebrating Thanksgiving, and becoming more American (which for Hale meant becoming more like White Protestant Northerners) by doing so. Her efforts sought to expand

3984-431: The closest weekday : a holiday falling on a Saturday is observed on the preceding Friday, while a holiday falling on a Sunday is observed on the succeeding Monday. The official names come from the statute that defines holidays for federal employees. 1938 (federal holiday) 1941 (received permanent observation date) Inauguration Day , held on January 20 every four years following a quadrennial presidential election ,

4067-421: The country to tell a story of its origins- people leaving far off lands, struggling under harsh conditions and ultimately being welcomed to America's bounty- that children, particularly immigrant children, could easily understand and share with their families. The holiday materials were often disseminated in the form of booklets containing poetry and songs and crafts. Thanksgiving pageants at schools often involved

4150-477: The course and conclusion of the late war, for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed, for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted, for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all

4233-522: The day with an alternative holiday or observance. South Dakota is the only state to recognize Native American Day as an official state holiday. Patuxet The Patuxet were wiped out by a series of plagues that decimated the indigenous peoples of southeastern New England in the second decade of the 17th century. The epidemics which swept across New England and the Canadian Maritimes between 1614 and 1620 were especially devastating to

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4316-473: The days of the funerals for former Presidents Ronald Reagan , George H. W. Bush , and Gerald Ford ; federal government offices were closed and employees given a paid holiday. In addition, occasionally the President will grant Christmas Eve as a holiday or partial holiday (the latter generally being 4 hours for full-time employees). Many federal holidays have been proposed. As the U.S. federal government

4399-518: The diminutive variant Squanto, and the last living member of the Patuxet) came in at the request of Massasoit , leader of the Wampanoag , to negotiate a peace treaty and establish trade relations with the colonists, as both men had some knowledge of English from previous interactions with Europeans, through both trade (Samoset) and a period of enslavement (Squanto). Massasoit had hoped to establish

4482-522: The eleventh day of October, in the year of our LORD, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-two, and of our Sovereignty and Independence, the seventh. JOHN HANSON , President. CHARLES THOMSON, Secretary. On Thursday, September 24, 1789, the first House of Representatives voted to recommend the First Amendment of the newly drafted Constitution to the states for ratification. The next day, Congressman Elias Boudinot from New Jersey proposed that

4565-410: The entire village and about 90 Wampanoag has been celebrated as a symbol of cooperation and interaction between English colonists and Native Americans. The event later inspired 19th-century Americans to establish Thanksgiving as a national holiday in the United States. The harvest celebration took place at the historic site of the Patuxet villages. Squanto's involvement as an intermediary in negotiating

4648-548: The federal level. Some of these holidays are observed at the state level. Some Native American groups protest the observance of Columbus Day , mainly due to the controversy of Columbus' arrival to the Americas. Alaska , Colorado , Florida , Hawaii , Iowa , Louisiana , Maine , Michigan , Minnesota , New Mexico , Nevada , North Carolina , Oregon , South Dakota , Vermont , Washington , and Wisconsin do not recognize Columbus Day. Hawaii and South Dakota mark

4731-563: The first person to identify the 1621 feast as the "first Thanksgiving", but this was only because he viewed it as similar to the traditions of New England Thanksgivings that had developed independently from it over the previous two hundred years. Those traditions, and the modern holiday, were born out of the gradual homogenization and, to a degree, secularization, of multiple, separate but related days of thanksgiving throughout New England. These days were often celebrated from early November to early to mid-December, in some cases functioning almost as

4814-418: The following proclamation and created the first Thanksgiving Day designated by the national government of the United States of America: Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor, and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me "to recommend to

4897-402: The giver of all good, for His gracious assistance in a time of distress, but also in a solemn and public manner, to give Him praise for His goodness in general, and especially for great and signal interpositions of His Providence in their behalf; therefore, the United States in Congress assembled, taking into their consideration the many instances of Divine goodness to these States in the course of

4980-766: The global food system) and no pies (because there was no butter, wheat flour, or sugar).". Two colonists gave personal accounts of the 1621 feast in Plymouth: William Bradford , in Of Plymouth Plantation wrote: They began now to gather in the small harvest they had, and to fit up their houses and dwellings against winter, being all well recovered in health and strength and had all things in good plenty. For as some were thus employed in affairs abroad, others were exercised in fishing, about cod and bass and other fish, of which they took good store, of which every family had their portion. All

5063-425: The great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us. And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions, to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually, to render our national government

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5146-439: The harvest celebration involved a demonstration of arms by the colonists, and the Wampanoag, having entered into a mutual protection agreement with the colonists and likely mistaking the celebratory gunfire for an attack by a common enemy, arrived fully armed. The Wampanoag were welcomed to join the celebration, as their farming and hunting techniques had produced much of the bounty for the Pilgrims, and contributed their own foods to

5229-560: The health of their children, for the fertility of their fields, for the love which bound them together and for the faith which united them with their God." However, according to historian James Baker, debates over where any "first Thanksgiving" took place on modern American territory are a "tempest in a beanpot". According to Baker, "the American holiday's true origin was the New England Thanksgiving. Never coupled with

5312-426: The holiday from a regional celebration to a national one not only through advocacy in her magazine but also in direct appeals to several U.S. presidents, including Abraham Lincoln, who permanently established the holiday at the national level in 1863. While the Pilgrim's story did not itself create the modern Thanksgiving holiday, it did become inextricably linked with it in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This

5395-420: The important conflict, in which they have been so long engaged; the present happy and promising state of public affairs, and the events of the war in the course of the year now drawing to a close; particularly the harmony of the public Councils which is so necessary to the success of the public cause; the perfect union and good understanding which has hitherto subsisted between them and their allies, notwithstanding

5478-573: The innumerable Bounties of his common Providence; but also to smile upon us in the Prosecution of a just and necessary war, for the Defense and Establishment of our unalienable Rights and Liberties; particularly in that he hath been pleased, in so great a Measure, to prosper the Means used for the Support of our Troops, and to crown our Arms with most signal success: It is therefore recommended to

5561-451: The late 19th century. As the name implies, the theme of the holiday generally revolves around giving thanks with the centerpiece of most celebrations being a Thanksgiving dinner . The dinner often consists of foods associated with New England harvest celebrations: turkey , potatoes (usually mashed and sweet ), squash , corn (maize), green beans , cranberries (typically as cranberry sauce ), and pumpkin pie , but has expanded over

5644-465: The legislative or executive Powers of these United States to set apart Thursday, the eighteenth Day of December next, for Solemn Thanksgiving and Praise: That at one Time and with one Voice, the good People may express the grateful Feelings of their Hearts, and consecrate themselves to the Service of their Divine Benefactor; and that, together with their sincere Acknowledgments and Offerings, they may join

5727-433: The meal. Most modern imaginings of the celebration promote the idea that every party involved ate solely turkey. "While the celebrants might well have feasted on wild turkey, the local diet also included fish, eels, shellfish, and a Wampanoag dish called nasaump , which the Pilgrims had adopted: boiled cornmeal mixed with vegetables and meats. There were no potatoes (an indigenous South American food not yet introduced into

5810-559: The observation of THURSDAY the TWENTY-EIGHTH DAY OF NOVEMBER next as a day of SOLEMN THANKSGIVING to GOD for all His mercies; and they do further recommend to all ranks to testify their gratitude to God for His goodness by a cheerful obedience to His laws and by promoting, each in his station, and by his influence, the practice of true and undefiled religion, which is the great foundation of public prosperity and national happiness. Done in Congress at Philadelphia ,

5893-653: The penitent Confession of their manifold Sins, whereby they had forfeited every Favor; and their humble and earnest Supplication that it may please God through the Merits of Jesus Christ, mercifully to forgive and blot them out of Remembrance; That it may please him graciously to afford his Blessing on the Governments of these States respectively, and prosper the public Council of the whole: To inspire our Commanders, both by Land and Sea, and all under them, with that Wisdom and Fortitude which may render them fit Instruments, under

5976-589: The plantation and bestowed on our governor, and upon the captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you, partakers of our plenty. Jeremy Bang opines that, "Local boosters in Virginia , Florida , and Texas promote their own colonists, who (like many people getting off a boat) gave thanks for setting foot again on dry land." The codification and celebration of an annual day of thanksgiving according to

6059-419: The service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be. That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks, for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation, for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his providence, which we experienced in

6142-558: The site had been renamed "New Plimoth" in Smith's A Description of New England after a suggestion by Prince Charles of England. When the Pilgrim Settlers decided to make their settlement, the land that had been cleared and cultivated by the prior inhabitants (since dead through disease) was a primary reason for the location. Tisquantum was instrumental in the survival of the colony of English settlers at Plymouth . Samoset ,

6225-528: The specific boons they provided to their worshipers or humanity in general such as the Tekh Festival thanking the goddess Hathor for the creation of alcohol. These were often celebrated with music, dancing, bonfires and the donning of accoutrements or costumes. Documented thanksgiving services in what is currently the United States were conducted as early as the 16th century by the Spaniards [2] and

6308-786: The summer there was no want; and now began to come in store of fowl, as winter approached, of which this place did abound when they can be used (but afterward decreased by degrees). And besides waterfowl, there was a great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many, besides venison, etc. Besides, they had about a peck a meal a week to a person, or now since harvest, Indian corn to the proportion. Which made many afterward write so largely of their plenty here to their friends in England, which were not feigned but true reports. Edward Winslow , in Mourt's Relation wrote: Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after

6391-419: The traditions of a New England Thanksgiving, was the longtime editor of Godey's Ladies Book , the most widely circulated periodical in the antebellum U.S. Hale was the chief promoter of the modern idea of the holiday in the 19th century, from the foods served to the decorations to the role of women in putting it all together. Concerned by increasing factionalism in American society, Hale envisioned Thanksgiving as

6474-550: The years to include specialties from other regions of the United States, such as pecan pie (the American South) and wild rice stuffing (the Great Lakes region) as well as international and ethnic dishes. Other Thanksgiving customs include charitable organizations offering thanksgiving dinner for the poor, attending religious services , and watching or participating in parades and American football matches. Thanksgiving

6557-612: Was established in 1938 to honor the end of World War I , and the scope of the holiday was expanded to honor Americans who fought in World War II and the Korean War when it was renamed Veterans Day in 1954. In 1968, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act gave several holidays "floating" dates so that they always fall on a Monday, and also established Columbus Day . In 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed

6640-753: Was given by the Continental Congress in 1777 from its temporary location in York, Pennsylvania , while the British occupied the national capital at Philadelphia. Delegate Samuel Adams created the first draft. Congress then adopted the final version: For as much as it is the indispensable Duty of all Men to adore the superintending Providence of Almighty God; to acknowledge with Gratitude their Obligation to him for Benefits received, and to implore such farther Blessings as they stand in Need of: And it had pleased him in his abundant Mercy, not only to continue to us

6723-413: Was largely due to the introduction in U.S. schools of "an annual sequence of classroom holiday activities through which civic education and American patriotism were indoctrinated." The late 19th and early 20th century were a time of massive immigration to the U.S. The changing demographics prompted not only xenophobic responses in the form of restrictive immigration measures, but also a greater push towards

6806-462: Was not published until the 1850s and the booklet "Mourt's Relation" was typically summarized by other publications without the now-familiar thanksgiving story. In fact, by the eighteenth century, the original booklet appeared to be lost or forgotten although a copy was later rediscovered in Philadelphia in 1820, with the first full reprinting in 1841. In a footnote the editor, Alexander Young, was

6889-495: Was the case when Thomas Hunt kidnapped several Wampanoag in 1614 in order to sell them later in Spain . One of Hunt's captives was a Patuxet named Tisquantum, who eventually came to be known as Squanto (a nickname given to him by his friend William Bradford ). After Tisquantum regained his freedom, he was able to work his way to England where he lived for several years, working with a shipbuilder. He signed on as an interpreter for

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