Thanksgiving is probably the most favorite
American holiday. The history of the holiday started in colonial time. In 23. B.
1620 a group of English people who were
unhappy with the way the Church of 24. C. England was organized set sail from
Plymouth on a ship called the 25. A. Mayflower. They wanted to found a new
church in America.
After six weeks at sea, the 26. A. Pilgrims landed at what is now Plymouth
Rock, Massachusetts. They had a hard winter and nearly half of them died. But
the local Indians provided seeds for the corn, which the Europeans had never
seen before. They also helped the English settlers to hunt and fish.
Fortunately the first year’s harvest was good. The English settlers wanted to
thank both God and also the Indians. So the governor declared a feast and
invited the Indians to join in. About ninety Indians brought along fish, deer
meat, 27. B. turkey, corn and pumpkin. They feasted with the English settlers
for three days.
The next year no Thanksgiving celebrations were held, and it didn’t become an
annual event until the 1780s. It was made a national holiday in 1863 by
President 28. A. George Washington. At that time the country was in the middle
of 29. B. the Civil War, and the president thought that the establishment of a
national holiday would help to unite American people.
Today, Americans celebrate this happy harvest festival on the fourth 30. C.
Thursday of November with much of the same food as had been eaten at the first
Thanksgiving.