The “first” Thanksgiving

The idea of the “first” Thanksgiving as we know it today came from Alexander Young, who referenced an account of a three-day festival  in 1621 from a letter of Edward Winslow, a member of the Plymouth Colony.

The Thanksgiving we learn about in school and celebrate is based on this 3 day celebration of the Harvest. It was a feast with the Pilgrims and the Native Americans. The Wampanoag had helped the Pilgrims survive their first year in Plymouth, so the surviving colonists invited a group of Wampanoag to the Harvest Festival.

Seafood and other meats like deer and chicken probably were served with various meat and fruit pies and squash.

Lincoln was the first President to declare Thanksgiving a national holiday, This happened in 1863 when the date was set as last Thursday of November.

Black Friday has been a tradition since the 1930s: In 1941, Franklin Delano Roosevelt proclaimed Thanksgiving to be on the fourth Thursday of November, since retailers were concerned consumers would not have enough time to shop for Christmas.

Many American Thanksgiving traditions revolve around a huge meal, usually with Turkey as a centerpiece and family members Mentioning something they are thankful for.