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5 Big Questions About Thanksgiving

Find out the story behind one of America’s most treasured national holidays.

As You Read, Think About: What are some of your favorite holiday traditions?

Making Macy’s Parade Balloons
Watch a video to explore how these massive balloons are designed and created.

1. When did the holiday start? 

Not as long ago as some people think! In 1621, English settlers called the Pilgrims gathered for a feast with members of the Wampanoag (WAHM-pah-nawg) Nation in what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts. They were celebrating a good harvest. But it was not the first Thanksgiving. The Wampanoag had already been giving thanks for successful harvests for centuries. Europeans had similar celebrations too. The people at the 1621 gathering weren’t thinking about starting a new tradition. 

It would be more than 200 years before anyone began to think of this feast as the inspiration for Thanksgiving.

Greg Copeland

2. Was that feast like today’s Thanksgiving celebrations?

Not really. For one thing, it lasted three days. And at least 90 Wampanoag and 50 Pilgrims took part. That’s probably a lot more people than you’ll have at your holiday table! 

They may have eaten turkey, but the Wampanoag also brought deer meat to the feast. Experts say the menu also included lobster and eels! But back then, there was no cranberry sauce or pumpkin pie.

3. So, when did Thanksgiving become an official holiday?

In the 1800s, a writer and magazine editor named Sarah Josepha Hale set out to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. She spent years publishing essays and writing letters to lawmakers. Her persistence finally paid off. In October 1863, President Abraham Lincoln declared the last Thursday in November an official holiday in the U.S.

4. How did turkeys become a symbol of the holiday?

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After Thanksgiving became a national holiday, families across the country began to celebrate it every year. Turkeys were large enough to feed a big family and were native to North America. So the birds became the most popular choice for the holiday meal. 

Turkeys are so important to the holiday that they are the stars of an annual event at the White House! Throughout history, some presidents spared turkeys from becoming dinner. In 1989, President George H.W. Bush made the turkey pardon an official event. Each year, the president spares a turkey during a ceremony, allowing the bird to live to gobble another day. 

5. Why is Thanksgiving considered the start of the holiday season?

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That’s thanks to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade! It started in 1924 as a way to promote the store’s Christmas sales. Over time, people came to think of Thanksgiving as the start of the holiday shopping season.

In 1939, business owners convinced President Franklin D. Roosevelt to move Thanksgiving to the third Thursday in November. That made the shopping season longer. But it also led to confusion, as many people had made plans to celebrate a week later. In 1941, Congress moved the holiday to the fourth Thursday in November.

1. How does the article support the idea that the harvest feast in 1621 was not the first Thanksgiving?

2. Choose two historical figures mentioned in the article who played important roles in the history of Thanksgiving. Describe how each person shaped the holiday.

3. Based on the article, how did turkey come to be such a popular Thanksgiving food?

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