Why celebrated thanksgiving

By , the "thanksgiving" tradition was still not a holiday. Bradford's manuscript with the actual accounts of that first Thanksgiving had yet to be published, so there was little public interest in the entire thing.

And while it's reported that George Washington called for a "national thanksgiving" on the last Thursday of November that year, a declaration like that essentially amounted to a nice, thoughtful idea. It wasn't until the diary made its way to the hands of magazine editor Sarah Josepha Hale in the s that things began to take shape.

Passed down through generations and across centuries, it finally landed in her lap She never gave up, and eventually lucked out with none other than Abraham Lincoln.

As the Civil War raged on, Lincoln believed that Thanksgiving might help to unite the divided country. He declared it a national holiday in and kept Thanksgiving as the last Thursday in November.

Washington's idea was finally brought to life, and it was at this time that Thanksgiving became a bona fide official holiday on the American calendar.

On December 26, , President Franklin D. Roosevelt decided to change the date to the fourth Thursday in November instead of the last Thursday.

The reasoning behind his decision? On most years, there are only four Thursdays in November in the first place, but on those years when there are five, Roosevelt felt that moving the celebration up a week would be beneficial to the economy. Whatever you say, Mr.

These days, the vast majority of Americans celebrate Thanksgiving with a delicious feast among friends and family on that fourth Thursday of November. As for benefitting the economy Thanksgiving is a great time to help out people who might not be as lucky as you.

Some people volunteer to serve food at homeless shelters; others donate to shelters or participate in canned food drives. The food is eaten, the dishes are washed Some families take bike rides, go on walks, or take naps. Others play board or card games together. All rights reserved. Personality Quizzes. Funny Fill-In. Amazing Animals.

There were also floats with puppets, celebrities, bands, costumed Macy's employees, and of course, Santa Clause.

In , food corporation Swanson overestimated how much turkey would be consumed on Thanksgiving and had to get creative with the tons of leftover meat. Using 5, aluminum trays and an assembly line of hand-packers, they created a Thanksgiving-inspired meal with the aforementioned turkey, cornbread dressing, gravy, peas, and sweet potatoes. The dish was sold for a grand total of 98 cents, and in the first full year of production, they sold ten million of them, birthing the prepackaged frozen meal industry.

Though not in the way you might think. It wasn't so much that he thought the bird was delicious, but more so that he admired the animal's qualities.

Surprisingly, Franklin thought the turkey should be the United States' official bird rather than the bald eagle. Apparently, Franklin noted that the turkey was a "much more respectable bird. The feast between Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Native Americans lasted for three days, during which both parties contributed to the meal.

Though there are few records of the actual menu, it is known that the Pilgrims hunted for local fowl swans included and the Wampanoag brought five deer. It's thought that lobster and seal were likely involved due to their availability in the area.

Records show that people have been cooking up pumpkin pies since the mid- s! Pumpkins were likely at the first Thanksgiving, although probably not in pie form. Halloween is a holiday celebrated each year on October 31, and Halloween will occur on Sunday, October The tradition originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts.

In the eighth century, Veterans Day is a U. In , on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, was declared between the Labor Day will occur on Monday, September 6.

Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers and is traditionally observed on the first Monday in September. It was created by the labor movement in the late 19th century and became a federal Live TV. This Day In History. History Vault. Thanksgiving at Plymouth In September , a small ship called the Mayflower left Plymouth, England, carrying passengers—an assortment of religious separatists seeking a new home where they could freely practice their faith and other individuals lured by the promise of prosperity and land ownership in the "New World.

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