On Thursday 27 November, Americans will enjoy their annual Thanksgiving. But what’s its background? Who started it? And when? How has it evolved?
The oft-repeated myth is that Thanksgiving – an annual celebration of harvest – dates back to the first harvest following the arrival of the Pilgrim Fathers in what today is the state of Massachusetts. True, there was a three-day harvest celebration in 1621, but this really cannot be regarded as the start of Americans’ modern-day tradition. The link between the thankful pilgrims and the modern-day Thanksgiving is really pretty tenuous and more the creation of some romanticised teaching of American history in the second half of the 19th century.
It’s also worth reminding ourselves that American history is replete with examples of “days of thanksgiving” for a number of significant national events. George Washington declared one in December 1777 to give thanks for his army’s victory over the British. And, as president, George Washington, John Adams and James Madison all declared various days of thanksgiving.
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