today we're looking at the history of thanksgiving
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questions down in the description each year in the united states on the fourth thursday of november
we celebrate thanksgiving this holiday traces its roots to before really the united states was even
a nation and much of its history ties directly to important events in american history as just about
every elementary student learned in kindergarten first or second grade the first thanksgiving was
celebrated by the pilgrims in massachusetts in november of 1621. to find out more about the
pilgrims you can check out my other video devoted just strictly to the pilgrims but in in their
first year in america the pilgrims had a tough go of it with half of them dying in the first year
after arriving in the new world if not for the generosity of the wampanoag tribe in the area the
pilgrims might not have survived the celebration in november of 1621 was a three-day festival to
celebrate their first successful harvest and many of the wampanoag attended including the wampanoag
chief massasoit at this first thanksgiving they did not eat stuffing or pumpkin pie like we think
of today more than likely the menu included things such as you know some turkey but also deer oysters
lobster and geese the pilgrims again celebrated days of thanks in 1623 to celebrate the end of a
drought in the region from there thanksgiving kind of became very random governors of each colony
especially in new england and the middle colonies would call for days of thanksgiving to give thanks
to god for blessings such as you know the colony receiving a good harvest or maybe a victory in
battle or you know other events to celebrate it wasn't until the american revolution that
we begin to see more of a national trend towards the holiday on november 1st 1777 the continental
congress called for a day of thanksgiving across all the colonies in celebration of the american
victory over the british at the battle of saratoga after the revolutionary war was over president
george washington called for a day of thanksgiving in 1789 to give thanks for the american victory
in the revolution but also for the approval of the new u.s constitution with washington setting
so many precedents other early u.s presidents also called for days of thanksgiving but still
no date was officially set for the holiday but then came along sarah josepha hale who was the
author of the children's poem mary had a little lamb but also fought for women's education and
was instrumental in preserving george washington's home mount vernon as a historic site hale was a
magazine editor and is sometimes called the mother of thanksgiving because starting in the mid-1820s
she began writing articles arguing for the united states to declare an official thanksgiving holiday
she had grown up in new hampshire and had celebrated the thanksgiving holiday
every year growing up so she felt like the entire nation should take part in this holiday as well
so for over 30 years she continued arguing for the holiday and writing letters to governors
congress and presidents urging them to designate the holiday all of her work eventually paid off in
1863 during the civil war during the american civil war over 620 000 americans died in the
conflict during the first two years of the war the union suffered setback after setback and so
in the aftermath of the major union victories at gettysburg and vicksburg which is considered by
many to be the turning point of the war president abraham lincoln called for a day of thanksgiving
in lincoln's thanksgiving proclamation he asked americans to thank god and quote commend to his
tender care all those who have become widows orphans mourners or sufferers in this lamentable
civil strife and to heal the wounds of the nation as the 1800s came to an end and the 1900s were
ushered in thanksgiving took on a very economic role as the consumer economy of the united states
really began to boom thanksgiving became the kickoff to the christmas shopping season
so thanksgiving remained the last thursday in november until president franklin roosevelt
moved it up one week in 1939 to try to extend the holiday shopping season and spur the economy that
was trying to recover from the great depression many were upset about the move and began calling
thanksgiving frank's giving so in 1941 roosevelt moved thanksgiving to the fourth thursday in
november and there it has remained the holiday grew bigger throughout the early to mid 1900s as
macy's department store introduced the macy's thanksgiving day parade as a way to try to
attract customers in 1924. it now has become a holiday tradition that hundreds of thousands
attend in new york city and millions watch at home so no matter what you do this thanksgiving
stop and think about the history behind the holiday but more importantly stop and appreciate
the family and friends celebrating with you and give thanks for all we have to be thankful for
so with that hopefully you learned something and thanks for watching
you