The Thanksgiving holiday is one of the most celebrated American holidays, known for its pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce, and family gatherings around a thanksgiving dinner table.
But behind the food and parades lies a long and complicated history of Thanksgiving that began long before English settlers arrived in the New World.
Many of us grew up hearing a heartwarming story of the Pilgrims coming to the New World, struggling to survive…and being saved by some Native Americans who taught them how to plant and fish. And to celebrate they all had a lovely feast in November…a heart warming tale…that is more legend that true.
The real story of Thanksgiving is a lot more gritty…and less cozy than we all imagined.
Below is a timeline of historical events showing how this harvest celebration evolved from a local gathering among the Wampanoag tribe and Plymouth colonists into an annual national holiday observed every fourth Thursday of November.
Before 1620 – The Wampanoag Homeland
Long before the arrival of the Mayflower, the home of the Wampanoag people stretched across southeastern Massachusetts, Cape Cod, and eastern Rhode Island. This land was not wilderness—it was carefully managed by Native Americans who had farmed, hunted, and traded there for thousands of years.
The Wampanoag tribe, whose name means “People of the Dawn,” lived in organized villages with a strong government led by sachems and advanced farming methods, including the famous Three Sisters crops: corn, beans, and squash.
1616–1619 – Epidemic Devastation
Before the Plymouth colonists arrived, disease swept through the Native American tribes of the east coast of the United States, killing as much as 90% of the indigenous people in the region. The once-thriving Patuxet village, part of the Wampanoag nation, was wiped out completely.
When English colonists reached the coast, they found cleared fields, stored Wampanoag supplies, and even planted corn—all remnants of the people who had lived there.
1620 – The Arrival of the Mayflower
In November 1620, early settlers known as the Pilgrims sailed from England aboard the Mayflower. After a harsh winter that killed nearly half of them, they established the Plymouth Colony near Plymouth Rock, on land that had belonged to the Wampanoag people.
Among the leaders was William Bradford, who became governor of this new English settlement. The settlers struggled to survive in the unfamiliar environment of Massachusetts Bay, far from their old lives in Europe.
1621 – The Alliance and the First Harvest Feast
In 1621, Massasoit, the greatest king and sachem of the Wampanoag tribe, made a formal agreement with the struggling English settlers. Both groups were desperate—the Wampanoag had been weakened by disease, and the Plymouth colonists needed help growing food.
That autumn, the two groups came together for a harvest festival to celebrate their first harvest. This celebratory feast, now remembered as the first Thanksgiving celebration, included wild turkey, corn, and other local foods. While it was a moment of peace, it was also a political alliance meant to ensure survival.
The site of the first Thanksgiving remains Plimoth Plantation (modern-day Plymouth), near Cape Cod.
1675–1676 – King Philip’s War
As more European settlers arrived, tensions over land ownership and resources grew. Metacom (known to the English as King Philip), the son of Massasoit, led a war to defend his people. The conflict devastated both sides but destroyed much of the Native American presence in New England.
Ironically, after their victory, the colonists held a Day of Thanksgiving to thank God for triumphing over the native people—a somber reminder that the term “days of thanksgiving” once marked both harvests and wars.
1841 – The Birth of the Thanksgiving Myth
In the mid-19th century, writer Alexander Young referred to the 1621 harvest gathering as “The First Thanksgiving” in a contemporary account of Plymouth Thanksgiving. This small footnote in history transformed the local harvest feast into a national symbol.
Shortly afterward, writer Sarah Josepha Hale—best known for the poem “Mary Had a Little Lamb”—began a decades-long campaign urging the President of the United States to make Thanksgiving a national day of thanksgiving.
1863 – President Abraham Lincoln Declares a National Thanksgiving Day
During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln sought to heal a divided nation. Influenced by Hale’s letters, President Lincoln issued a proclamation establishing a National Thanksgiving Day to be celebrated on the last Thursday of November.
Lincoln’s national days of prayer and thanksgiving were meant to unify the country and encourage gratitude “for the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies.”
1939–1941 – President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Date Debate
In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the Thanksgiving holiday to the second-to-last Thursday of November to extend the shopping season before Black Friday. However, many states and newspapers like the New York Times criticized the change.
To end the confusion, the federal government officially set Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November in 1941, where it remains today.
1970 – The National Day of Mourning
While many Americans enjoy Thanksgiving celebrations filled with sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and parades featuring giant balloons in New York City, others observe a different tradition.
Each year in late November, members of Native American tribes gather in Plymouth for the National Day of Mourning, remembering their ancestors and the losses endured since the arrival of the European settlers.
Thanksgiving Today
Today, Thanksgiving is both a celebration of gratitude and an opportunity to reflect on cultural traditions and history. Families across North America gather for thanksgiving feasts featuring turkey, pumpkin pie, and other classic dishes.
But more people are also learning about the indigenous people who were here first and the local tribe whose story shaped the original Thanksgiving.
From Plymouth Colony to the White House, this day continues to evolve—reminding us that gratitude and truth can coexist as we honor both the bountiful harvests of the past year and the resilience of those who came before us.
More Reading: