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THANKSGIVING IN THE UNITED STATES
In 1608, a group of people later known as the “Pilgrims” left England to seek religious freedom in Holland. After some years, their children began to learn the Dutch life style and language. The Pilgrims became concerned with this because they considere the Dutch ideas a threat to their children’s education. On September 16, 1620, after many years of planning and preparation, the Pilgrims set sail for America, the “New World”, where they could live their lives in freedom. They sailed from Plymouth, England on a ship called the “Mayflower”. The 44 Pilgrims were joined by 58 other passengers and sailors.

The trip to the New World was long, cold and damp. It took over two months. The Pilgrims were overcrowded, their food was spoiling, and their water was running out. By the time land was sighted on November 19^th, many passengers had become sick and one had died. After the long, hard journey, the Pilgrims sighted Cape Cod on November 19. They anchored on November 21 at the site of Provincetown, Massachusetts. The settlers soon discovered Plymouth Harbor, on the western side of Cape Cod Bay and made their historic landing on December 21, 1620.

The first winter was very cold. Most of the days it snowed, which made it hard to construct their homes, so most of them lived on the ship. In March, the weather began to turn warmer and the health of the Pilgrims improved. Of the 102 original passengers, less than 50 had survived the first winter.

On March 16, 1621, something very important happened. An Indian brave walked into the Pilgrim’s settlement and greeted them in English. This Indian’s name was Samoset and he was a member of the Pemaquid tribe.

After a busy summer of planting and hunting the Pilgrims were ready to face the next winter. The October harvest was very successful. The Pilgrims had enough food to make it through the coming cold months. There was corn, fruits and vegetables; fish packed in salt and meat to be smoked. They had much to celebrate and be thankful for. They were at peace with their Indian neighbors, had houses and food.

The Pilgrims continued to observe this day of Thanksgiving each year and throughout America’s early history, special days of thanks were declared. In 1863, during the American Civil War (1861-1865), President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November Thanksgiving Day in order to encourage the Union soldier’s morale. After the war, Congress established Thanksgiving as a national holiday, to be celebrated every year.