The History Of Thanksgiving Day
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In
1621, after a hard and devastating first year in the New World
the Pilgrim's fall harvest was very successful and plentiful.
There was corn, fruits, vegetables, along with fish which was
packed in salt, and meat that was smoke cured over fires. They
found they had enough food to put away for the winter.
The
Pilgrims had beaten the odds. They built homes in the
wilderness, they raised enough crops to keep them alive during
the long coming winter, and they were at peace with their
Indian neighbors. Their Governor, William Bradford, proclaimed
a day of thanksgiving that was to be shared by all the
colonists and the neighboring Native American Indians.
The
custom of an annually celebrated thanksgiving, held after the
harvest, continued through the years. During the American
Revolution (late 1770's) a day of national thanksgiving was
suggested by the Continental Congress.
In
1817 New York State adopted Thanksgiving Day as an annual
custom. By the middle of the 19th century many other states
also celebrated a Thanksgiving Day. In 1863 President Abraham
Lincoln appointed a national day of thanksgiving. Since then
each president has issued a Thanksgiving Day proclamation,
usually designating the fourth Thursday of each November as
the holiday.
Now you know a little more about
Thanksgiving Day! |
