1. THANKSGIVING HISTORY By Raegan Merchant

2. H OW DID IT ALL BEGIN ? Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is know of today as on of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For two centuries, Thanksgiving was celebrated by individual colonists and states. In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.

3. T HE M AYFLOWER In September 1620, a small ship called the Mayflower left Plymouth, carrying 102 passengers. All the people that were on the Mayflower were seeking a new home. They wanted to be able to practice their faith. The ride lasted 66 days, they dropped the anchor near the tip of Cape Cod, far north of their destination. One month later the Mayflower crossed Massachusetts Bay, where the Pilgrims began to work of establishing a village at Plymouth.

4. T HE M AYFLOWER C ONT. Throughout the first winter on the Mayflower, most of the people choose to stay on board the ship. They suffered from exposure, scurvy {has a vitamin C deficiency} and outbreaks of contagious disease. Only half of the Mayflower’s original passengers and crew lived to see their first New England spring.

5. T HE START OF T HANKSGIVING In 1621 the Pilgrims first corn harvest proved successful. Governor William Bradford organized a celebratory feast. Now remembered as American’s “first Thanksgiving.” The festival lasted approximately 3 days, while no record exists of the historic banquet’s exact menu. Since the Pilgrims had no oven and the Mayflower’s sugar supply had dwindled by the fall of 1621, the meal did not feature pies, cakes or other desserts.

6. T YPES OF FOOD AT T HANKSGIVING Turkey Ham Bread Corn Beans Green beans Mash potatoes Gravy Sweet potatoes Pumpkin pie Apple pie Stuffing Cranberry Turducken

7. T HANKSGIVING B ECOMES AN O FFICIAL H OLIDAY Pilgrims held their second thanksgiving celebration in 1623 to mark the end of a long drought that had threatened the year’s harvest. New York became the first of several states to officially adopt an annual Thanksgiving holiday. Each celebrated thanksgiving on a different day.

8. T HANKSGIVING T RADITIONS Many Americans today celebrate Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is all about the cooking and the bonding with family. When this time of year comes around many people hold food drives and host free dinners for the less fortunate. Volunteering is a common Thanksgiving Day activity.

9. S UMMARY ! So we know the Pilgrims tried their hardest to harvest food. When their first harvest was successful they celebrated with a feast. As of today that feast is known as Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving would have to be my favorite time of year!

10. R ESOURCE www.history.comwww.history.com 1996-2010, A&E Television Networks