History of Thanksgiving: Origin, Traditions, & Controversy

Thanksgiving is the annual holiday that takes place throughout the United States on the last Thursday of November. Typically associated with family get-togethers and feasts including turkey, cranberries, and pumpkin pie, Thanksgiving has a long history that dates as far back as the early settlers in Plymouth. The feast was traditionally associated with celebrating a peaceful union between Native Americans and European settlers in autumn during the year’s harvest. Thanksgiving remains a controversial event and critics argue that it glosses over the brutal conflict faced by Native Americans during the early colonial era. Here is a closer look at the history of Thanksgiving as it evolved through American history.

One of the earliest and most popular possible origins of Thanksgiving took place amongst the Plymouth colonists and the Native American Wampanoag people. In September 1620, the Mayflower ship set off from Plymouth harbor in England, carrying a relatively small crew of 102 passengers made up of religious separatists. Each had grand ambitions of traveling to the so-called “New World” and establishing a new community.

After an arduous and grueling journey lasting 66 days, the ship landed near the tip of Cape Cod, before heading to Massachusetts Bay. The first winter they endured here was extremely harsh as many continued to live on board the ship to hide from severe weather. By the spring, only half of the original travelers had survived, and many were in a terrible state.

In March 1621, the remaining settlers, or “Pilgrims” came ashore. Fortuitously they were greeted with friendship by a member of the Abenaki tribe, who spoke to them in English. They were then visited by a different Native American named Squanto, who was previously captured as a slave before returning to his homeland. He and his community taught the Pilgrims how to survive off the land, catching fish, cultivating corn and pumpkins, and gathering sap from maple trees.

The Feast of 1621: The First Thanksgiving

The pilgrims had their first successful corn harvest in the November of that year. To express their gratitude, the Pilgrim Governor William Bradford organized a feast between the Pilgrims and the Native American Wampanoag people, an event that is widely recognized as the first (or one of the first) Thanksgiving feasts in US history. The symbiotic relationship between settlers and the Wampanoag tribe remained secure for more than 50 years. It was a remarkable point in American history, when European colonists and Native Americans lived together in peaceful harmony.

Some historians have argued the Plymouth colonists were not the first to host a Thanksgiving feast. In fact, some believe the first Thanksgiving took place in Florida in 1565, when Spanish settlers shared a festive meal with the Native American Timucuan tribe.

While there is little evidence on the food that was actually eaten during the earliest Thanksgivings, it seems likely that traditional Native American cooking methods and spices would have influenced the feast. Historians believe the Plymouth colonists might have shared locally sourced and caught foods including deer, seafood, and harvest fruits. Turkeys were certainly indigenous, but there are no records to suggest this is what they actually ate. Many of the foods now associated with Thanksgiving, including turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce, and mashed potatoes were introduced in later centuries and have now become entrenched within the Thanksgiving tradition.

The American Revolution

Throughout the American Revolution, various Thanksgiving-style events took place that celebrated battle victories. These feasts became a cultural marker of gratitude during the Revolutionary war, with people coming together and giving thanks. Meanwhile in 1789, George Washington led the first Thanksgiving proclamation of the US Government, which he called a day of gratitude marking the end of the war and the ratification of the Constitution.

Abraham Lincoln and National Thanksgiving Day

In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln declared National Thanksgiving Day in the United States, to be held on the last Thursday of each November. The day of celebration, family get-togethers, parades, and feasts that we know today largely came about due to the tireless lobbying of Sarah Josepha Hale. An American author and abolitionist, she became known as the “mother of Thanksgiving” for her determined dedication to the cause.

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City

As Thanksgiving became more established in the American cultural tradition, Thanksgiving day parades became a popular way to celebrate. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City began in 1924, making it one of the oldest Thanksgiving parades that is still around today. The event started out featuring floats, live music, animals from the Central Park Zoo, and Santa Claus welcoming the Christmas season at the end of the parade.

The Thanksgiving day event was created by Macy’s Department store, whose flagship store in Herald Square marks the end of the parade. As technology and the economy have advanced over the years, the parade has grown to feature large balloons of popular cultural characters and has extensive television coverage throughout the United States and the world. Parades like the Macys’ Thanksgiving day parade mark a shift in the holiday’s ties to consumerism and commercial culture in America.

Many Americans don’t realize that there is also Thanksgiving in Canada and that it has distinct roots from its American counterpart. Canadian Thanksgiving traces back to 1578 when English arctic explorer and privateer Martin Frobisher, seen above in this commemorative stamp from 1963, held a feast for his crew in Newfoundland to celebrate their safe passage to the New World. Canada declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1879, and in 1957 its official date was set to the second Monday of October. Many Canadians eat foods like turkey and pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving, while those in coastal areas eat a variation on the feast featuring ham and seafood.

The Day Is Shrouded in Controversy

Thanksgiving is not without its detractors, Native Americans, in particular, have argued that Thanksgiving has essentially covered up the violence and oppression between European settlers and Native Americans that led to many thousands of deaths. Since 1970, US protestors have gathered on Cole’s Hill overlooking Plymouth Rock on the same day as Thanksgiving, to commemorate a National Day of Mourning in tribute to the lives of their ancestors.

Modern Thanksgiving: A Day of Unity or Division?

While many Americans still celebrate and value Thanksgiving today as an opportunity to express gratitude and spend time with family, it is increasingly a point of division. In addition to the holiday’s overlooked and painful history regarding Native Americans and the violent consequences of colonization, the day is also culturally associated with difficult family dynamics and political arguments. Given the complex history and emotions associated with Thanksgiving, modern Americans as a whole are much less enthusiastic about celebrating the holiday than they used to be.

To further complicate matters, Thanksgiving in the United States now ushers in Black Friday, a day notorious for frenzied consumerism. Many have pointed out that it feels out of place to have flash sales like Black Friday following a celebration meant to focus on gratitude. In light of all this history, Thanksgiving has become a reflection of the most contrasting aspects of American culture, from togetherness to commercial excess to social division.

Originally published: November 20, 2023. Last update: October 11, 2024 by Elizabeth Berry