Thanksgiving has a long history that can be traced back to harvest festivals celebrated by the Pilgrims and Native Americans: 

    • Colonial origins

      In the 1600s, colonists in New England and Canada regularly celebrated days of prayer and thanksgiving for blessings like military victories, safe journeys, and bountiful harvests. 

    • First Thanksgiving

      In 1621, the Wampanoag people and the English colonists known as Pilgrims shared a harvest feast after a season of diplomacy. This feast is considered one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. 

  • National holiday

    In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be celebrated annually in November. The holiday was officially moved to the fourth Thursday in November in 1942. 

  • Controversial holiday
    Some Americans, including people of Native American ancestry, believe that Thanksgiving celebrations mask the true history of oppression and bloodshed between European settlers and Native Americans.