Thanksgiving was first celebrated in the year 1621 by Pilgrims in Plymouth. Pilgrims came to America on a ship called 'Mayflower', on December, 1620. They learned how to cultivate the lands from Wampanoag Indians, the natives of Plymouth. After their first disastrous winter and drought, in which they lost almost half of their members, they decided to celebrate their first harvest and the lives of the ones who survived. Pilgrims decided to have Thanksgiving feast, in which the Wampanoag Indians were also invited. It went on for three days.
After the first Thanksgiving, there was no celebration until it was proclaimed again in 1676. In the year 1789, President George Washington declared Thanksgiving a national holiday. There were differences over this matter and later president Thomas Jefferson even opposed the idea of Thanksgiving. A magazine editor named Sarah Joseph Hale launched a campaign in favor of Thanksgiving celebration and wrote many articles and editorials. Her efforts paid off when in 1863, the then president Abraham Lincoln proclaimed it to be on the fourth Thursday of November. After that President Franklin Roosevelt tried to shift the Thanksgiving Day to third Thursday of November but had to go back to the previous setting after a public uproar. In 1941, the Congress sanctioned Thanksgiving Day and made it a legal holiday.
The historians state that the first Thanksgiving meal didn't have roasted turkey, mashed potatoes or pumpkin pie on its menu. It's said that their food comprised of sea food, meat, vegetables, herbs, fruits and nuts. Potatoes and oil was not available during that time and there were no ovens to roast the Turkey. However, this food has now become a staple for Thanksgiving celebration.
