Read Time: 5 min 14 sec | Reading Level: 6th Grade

U.S. HISTORY

A History of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving—a day to celebrate the blessings of the past year—was declared a national holiday by Abraham Lincoln in 1863. But the American turkey feast finds its roots way back in the days of the colonies…

In October 1620, the Mayflower landed in what became Plymouth, Massachusetts. After a brutal winter, they met a Native American named Squanto, who spoke English because he’d escaped slavery in England. Squanto taught the Pilgrims—who were suffering from malnutrition and illness—how to cultivate corn, extract maple sap, catch fish in rivers, and avoid poisonous plants. 

After the colonists’ first successful harvest in 1621, the Governor organized a celebratory three-day feast. They invited their new Native American allies. On their menu? Not green bean casserole or pumpkin pie (they didn’t have ovens or much sugar). They apparently ate fish, vegetables, cornbread, and nuts. At the center of their feast? Geese, ducks, and deer; turkeys didn’t become a Thanksgiving staple until a couple hundred years later.

Thanksgiving feasts were celebrated off and on across the colonies until the Civil War. During the national war, President Lincoln scheduled the holiday for the final Thursday in November to “heal the wounds of the nation.” President Roosevelt tried to move the holiday up one week to boost Christmas sales during the Great Depression. However, Americans didn’t like that… so he signed a bill formalizing Thanksgiving as we know it on the fourth Thursday in November. 

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CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE
Saying “thank you” isn’t just about having good manners for those who follow Jesus. Giving thanks is a Christian virtue, a habit of believers that keeps us focused on the goodness of God. 

"And let the peace of Christ, to which you were also called in one body, rule your hearts. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
Colossians 3:15-17 (CSB) (read full passage)

What do I want to make sure my kids know in light of this story?
Christians give thanks to God.

Most of what we know about the first Thanksgiving feast comes from the Pilgrim chronicler Edward Winslow, who wrote, “And although it be not always so plentiful, as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want.” 

Everything we have—both physical blessings, like food and shelter, and spiritual blessings, like abundant life with Jesus—is a gift from God (James 1:17). Even in desperate times (like the Civil War or the Great Depression), believers have so much to thank God for (Habakkuk 3:17-19).

What response do I want to model for my children?
Thanksgiving is a habit—a discipline of faith.

Model for your kids a life of gratitude. Don’t save “thank you” for greeting cards or once-a-year feasts, but make giving thanks and praise to God a family habit. Around the dinner table (not just on Thanksgiving), share how you saw God working that day or what was good instead of pointing out the hard parts. Make worshiping and praising God in community a priority every week. When you pray, include thanks and praise for who God is and what he has done.

Gratitude is a spiritual discipline for every season of life that draws our hearts nearer to our good Father. “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!... Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:4-7 CSB).

• Take time to express what you’re thankful for during Thanksgiving this year, acknowledging that everything good in life comes from God.

• Memorize Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

• Offer a prayer of thanksgiving like this one: “Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; Through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.” Book of Common Prayer, page 25

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WHIPPED CREAM ON TOP

Those tricky turkeys…