Thanksgiving Student Activities

The History of Thanksgiving is rooted in a complex blend of cultural exchange, survival, conflict, gratitude, and national identity. While the modern Thanksgiving holiday is often associated with family gatherings, turkey dinners, and expressions of gratitude, its origins lie in the earliest interactions between English colonists and Native American peoples in the early 17th century. Understanding the true history of Thanksgiving requires examining the lived experiences of both the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people, the challenges they faced, and how the holiday evolved into a national tradition.

The story traditionally begins in 1620, when a group of English Separatists, later known as the Pilgrims, sailed to North America aboard the Mayflower. Their goal was to establish a colony where they could freely practice their religious beliefs, as they had faced persecution in England. After a difficult Atlantic crossing, the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, in present-day Massachusetts. What followed was one of the harshest winters the colonists had ever experienced. Nearly half of the original 102 passengers died from malnutrition, exposure, and illness.

The survivors’ fortunes began to change in the spring of 1621, due largely to the help of nearby Native American nations. The Wampanoag people, who had long inhabited the region, were themselves recovering from devastating losses caused by European diseases introduced years earlier. Despite their hardships, they played a crucial role in helping the newcomers adapt to the land. An English-speaking Patuxet man named Tisquantum—better known as Squanto—acted as a translator and mediator. He taught the Pilgrims how to plant corn using fish as fertilizer, how to identify local crops, and how to hunt and fish effectively.

Through Squanto, a diplomatic relationship developed between Plymouth Colony’s governor, William Bradford, and Ousamequin, also known as Massasoit, the sachem (leader) of the Wampanoag Confederacy. The two groups agreed to a mutual defense pact, an alliance that helped maintain relative peace for several decades. After the colonists’ first successful fall harvest, Governor Bradford organized a celebratory feast in 1621. The Wampanoag were invited to join the event, which lasted three days. While modern Thanksgiving meals center on turkey, historical accounts suggest the 1621 feast included venison, wild fowl, corn, berries, boiled vegetables, and possibly seafood. This celebration is often referred to as the “First Thanksgiving,” though similar harvest festivals existed among both Native Americans and Europeans long before this date.

Thanksgiving as a national holiday developed much later. Colonial communities held various days of thanksgiving to mark military victories, good harvests, or survivals from hardship. The idea of an annual celebration persisted sporadically. In 1789, President George Washington proclaimed the first national day of thanksgiving, though this was not repeated annually. The holiday gained a powerful advocate in the 19th century: Sarah Josepha Hale, the influential writer and editor best known for “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” For nearly 30 years, Hale wrote letters to presidents and published editorials urging the creation of a national Thanksgiving holiday that could unify the country.

Her persistence paid off during the Civil War. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln, seeking to strengthen national morale and foster unity at a time of enormous division, proclaimed the last Thursday of November as a National Day of Thanksgiving. This marked the beginning of Thanksgiving as an annual federal tradition. Lincoln emphasized gratitude for “fruitful fields” and “healthful skies,” while inviting Americans to remember the suffering caused by war and to extend charity to widows, orphans, and soldiers in need.

The date of Thanksgiving remained the last Thursday of November until 1939, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt attempted to move the holiday one week earlier to extend the holiday shopping season during the Great Depression. This decision proved controversial, creating confusion as some states observed the old date while others adopted the new one. Critics mockingly referred to the changed holiday as “Franksgiving.” In 1941, Congress passed a law officially establishing Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday in November, the date still observed today.

Modern Thanksgiving has grown into a holiday rich with tradition—family gatherings, parades, football games, and charitable events. At the same time, many Native American communities observe the National Day of Mourning, a reminder of the disease, displacement, and conflict that followed European colonization. Their observance challenges Americans to reflect on the fuller history and encourages a more nuanced understanding of the past.

Thanksgiving remains a holiday of gratitude, but also one that invites deeper reflection. Its history is both a story of cooperation and hardship, of cultural blending and cultural loss. By remembering both the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag, and by acknowledging the complexities of the past, Americans can appreciate Thanksgiving as not only a celebration of abundance, but also an opportunity for learning, reflection, and understanding.

Thanksgiving Student Activities

History of Thanksgiving Crossword Puzzle Printable and Online

History of Thanksgiving Quiz Online

History of Thanksgiving Video

First English Colonies Quiz Online