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Home , Plymouth Rock, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving (Canada)

The First

Two eyewitness accounts of the first Thanksgiving in 1621, (in modern spelling)

From : Plantation and bestowed on our Governor, and upon the Captain and "Our harvest being gotten in, our others. And although it be not always so governor sent four men on fowling, that plentiful, as it was at this time with us, so we might after a special manner yet by the goodness of , we are so rejoice together, after we had gathered far from want, that we often wish you the fruits of our labors; they four in one partakers of our plenty." day killed as much fowl, as with a little help beside, served the Company almost a week, at which time amongst other From William Bradford: Recreations, we exercised our Arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, "They began now to gather in the small and amongst the rest their greatest king harvest they had, and to fit up their , with some ninety men, whom houses and dwellings against winter, for three days we entertained and being all well recovered in health and feasted, and they went out and killed five strength and had all things in good Deer, which they brought to the plenty. For as some were thus employed in affairs abroad, others were exercised Establishing the in fishing, about cod and bass and other fish, of which they took good store, of proclaimed a which every family had their portion. All National Day of Thanksgiving in 1789, the summer there was no want; and now although some were opposed to it. There began to come in store of fowl, as winter was discord among the colonies, many approached, of which this place did feeling the hardships of a few pilgrims abound when they came first (but did not warrant a national holiday. And afterward decreased by degrees). And later, President Thomas Jefferson besides waterfowl there was great store opposed the idea of of wild turkeys, of which they took many, having a day of besides venison, etc. Besides, they had thanksgiving. about a peck of meal a week to a person, or now since harvest, Indian corn to that It was Sarah proportion. Which made many Josepha Hale, a afterwards write so largely of their magazine editor, plenty here to their friends in England, whose efforts which were not feigned but true eventually led to reports." what we recognize as Thanksgiving. Hale wrote many editorials The Cause for Celebration championing her cause in her The Pilgrims set ground at Plymouth Ladies' Magazine, and later, in Godey's Rock on December 11, 1620. One third Lady's Book. Finally, after a 40-year of the original colonists or Pilgrims were campaign of writing editorials and letters made up of members of the Puritan sect to governors and presidents, Hale's of the English Separatist Church. Their obsession became a reality when, in first winter was devastating. At the 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed the beginning of the following fall, they had last Thursday in as a national lost almost half of the original 102 who day of Thanksgiving. sailed on the . But the harvest of 1621 was a bountiful one. And the Thanksgiving was proclaimed by every remaining colonists (22 men, 4 married president after Lincoln. The date was women, and 27 children) decided to changed a couple of times, most recently celebrate with a feast -- including 91 by Franklin Roosevelt, who set it up one Indians who had helped the Pilgrims week to the next-to-last Thursday in survive their first year. It is believed that order to create a longer the Pilgrims would not have made it shopping . Public uproar against through the year without the help of the this decision caused the president to natives. The feast was more of a move Thanksgiving back to its original traditional English harvest than a date two years later. And in 1941, true "thanksgiving" observance. It lasted Thanksgiving was finally sanctioned by three days. Congress as a legal holiday, as the fourth Thursday in November.