The Story Behind Thanksgiving

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Thanksgiving graphic

Gabriela Gomez, Jr. Editor

When we think about Thanksgiving, we think of the day involving a huge feast with foods like turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing. Also the idea of being with family, letting out a laugh every once in a while but also sharing and spending time with each other, communicating which brings all of us closer together, but there is more to Thanksgiving than just the delicious food that covers the dinner table. 

November 25th, The day we celebrate the national holiday in the United states called, ‘Thanksgiving’. On November 25th, 1621, The Plymouth colonists and The Wampanoag shared a feast together which is now considered today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. Two centuries later, individual colonies also enjoyed the national holiday known as Thanksgiving. In 1863, during the civil war, Abraham Lincoln proposed the idea of Thanksgiving being held every November. 

A small ship called the Mayflower left Plymouth, England with about 102 passengers aboard, were religious separatists who were in search of a new home where they could freely practice their faith and lure in other individuals in search of the “New World ”. After one month, the Mayflower crossed Massachusetts Bay, where the pilgrims began the work of establishing a village in Plymouth. 

During this many passengers stayed aboard, suffering from exposure to scurvy and outbreaks of contagious diseases. After the downsides of everything that happened, after the Pilgrims first corn harvest was proved successful during November 1621, Governor William Bradford organized a celebratory feast, inviting a group of fledgling colonies Native American allies and Wampanoag Chief Massasoit. This was known as the “First Thanksgiving”, although this term was not used during this time the festival lasted for three days. The exact menu was never recorded when this feast occurred but much of what we have acknowledged comes from Pilgrim Chronicler Edward Winslow.