American Holidays
Thanksgiving Day is the fourth Thursday in November, but many Americans take a day of vacation on the following Friday to make a four-day weekend, during which they may travel long distances to visit family and friends.
The holiday dates back to 1621, the year after the Puritans arrived in Massachusetts, determined to practice their dissenting religion without interference. After a rough winter, in which about half of them died, they turned for help to neighboring Indians, who taught them how to plant corn and other crops. The next fall's bountiful harvest inspired the Pilgrims to give thanks by holding a feast.
The Thanksgiving feast became a national tradition — not only because so many other Americans have found prosperity but also because the Pilgrims' sacrifices for their freedom still captivate the imagination.
To this day, Thanksgiving dinner almost always includes some of the foods served at the first feast: roast turkey, cranberry sauce, potatoes, pumpkin pie. Before the meal begins, families or friends usually pause to give thanks for their blessings, including the joy of being united for the occasion.
Background
- The "First" Thanksgiving (Mayflower Webpage)
- The History of Thanksgiving(History Channel)
- Plymouth Colony Archive Project (University of Virginia)
- Plymouth, MA - It's History and People
- Thanksgiving in American Memory (Library of Congress)
- Thanksgiving on the Net (Holidays on the Net)
- Thanksgiving. Pilgrims in American Culture (Plimoth-on-Web)
- Thanksgiving (World Book Encyclopedia Online)
- Thanksgiving Special (PBS Online NewsHour)
- Today in History: Thanksgiving Day (Library of Congress)
Texts/Documents
- Governor Bradford's Alleged First Thanksgiving Proclamation 1623
- The "First" Thanksgiving Proclamation - 1676
- Continental Congress Thanksgiving Proclamation, 1782
Exhibits
- American Turkey (Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh)
- National Museum of the American Indian
- Plimoth Plantation
- Thanksgiving (Pilgrim Hall Museum)
For Kids
- Colonial Kids (ThinkQuest Library)
- The First Thanksgiving (Scholastic)
- Happy Thanksgiving (The Holiday Spot)
- Kids Domain: Thanksgiving
- Thanksgiving: Exploring the History and Meaning of the Holiday(NYTimes Learning Network)
Teacher Resources
- Education World. Holidays Center: Thanksgiving
- Educational Resources (Plimoth on the Web)
- Facts for Features: Thanksgiving (U.S. Census Bureau)
- Mayflower. An Educator's Reference Desk Lesson Plan
- Thanksgiving (Education Planet)
- Thanksgiving (Fourth World Documentation Project)
- Thanksgiving. An Educator's Reference Desk Lesson Plan
- Thanksgiving Across the Curriculum (about.com Secondary School Educators)
- Thanksgiving in American Memory (American Memory - Library of Congress)
More Links
- The Mayflower Webpages
- Thanksgiving (Google Web Directory)
- Yahoo! Holidays and Observances: Thanksgiving
- Thanksgiving Ecards
