Thanksgiving: A Time for Reflection and Gratitude

How did the tradition of Thanksgiving originate?

Choose the correct option:

1. Thanksgiving was first celebrated by the Native Americans in the 16th century.
2. The Pilgrims celebrated the first Thanksgiving in 1621 to give thanks for a bountiful harvest.
3. Thanksgiving became a national holiday in the United States in the 19th century.

Origin of Thanksgiving

The Pilgrims celebrated the first Thanksgiving in 1621 to give thanks for a bountiful harvest.

The tradition of Thanksgiving originated with the Pilgrims in 1621. The Pilgrims were English Separatists who sailed on the Mayflower to Plymouth, Massachusetts, seeking religious freedom. After a year of struggles and hardships in the New World, they held a harvest feast to express gratitude for the successful yield of crops. This event is considered the first Thanksgiving and marked the beginning of a tradition that continues to this day.

Despite the challenges they faced, the Pilgrims chose to focus on the blessings in their lives and celebrate their good fortune with a feast shared with the Wampanoag tribe. This act of coming together in gratitude and unity laid the foundation for the Thanksgiving holiday we know today.

As time passed, Thanksgiving evolved into a national holiday in the United States, thanks to the efforts of Sarah Josepha Hale and President Abraham Lincoln. Hale advocated for a day of thanksgiving, and Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863, during the Civil War, as a way to foster unity and healing in a divided nation.