Thanksgiving
An American Holiday
The Puritans
A long time ago in England,
there was a group of people
who all went to the same
church, they were called
Puritans. They wanted to live
their lives like God wanted
them to, so that they could
get into heaven. The things
that the Puritans did were
considered “extreme” by the
rest of the members of the
Church of England.
King James I
The King of England,
James the First, thought
that everyone should go
to his church, the Church
of England. He got mad
when the pilgrims didn’t
want to go to his church,
he said, “You go to my
church or you go to jail!”
Puritans vs. King James
The pilgrims said, “Ok, we’ll go to jail.” But, finally
the king realized that the Puritans weren’t going to
change their minds, so he said, “You can get out of
jail, but you have to leave England.”
The Mayflower
So the pilgrims rented a
ship and left England for
America on September
6, 1620. Their ship was
called the “Mayflower.”
Journey to America
The trip to America was long and hard. It took 66 days.
There were storms and the ship was really crowded.
The Pilgrims Arrive in America
They arrived in a place called Plymouth, which is in
the State of Massachusetts.
The First Winter in America
When the Pilgrims got to America, it was winter and
there were no food or houses. Many of them died from
sickness, starvation and freezing to death.
The Native Americans
There were some people
who lived in America
already. The Pilgrims called
them Indians. The Indians
saw the Pilgrims suffering
and they decided to help
them.
Squanto
There was one Native
American in particular who
helped the Pilgrims. His name
was Squanto. He spoke English
because he had been a slave
in England for 8 years. He
helped the Pilgrims recover
from their first difficult winter by
teaching them the best places
to catch fish and eel. He
helped them to keep peace
with the other local Native
Americans.
The Indians Help the Pilgrims
They showed them how to
grow corn and pumpkins, how
to build houses out of local
trees,
and how to survive the
cold winter weather of
Massachusetts.
The Second Year
When it was winter again, the Pilgrims had
food and a place to live.
The First Thanksgiving Dinner
The Pilgrims were so happy, they said, “We need to have a
feast and celebrate. We’ll invite our friends, the Indians.”
Thanksgiving Celebration
So they had a great feast that lasted for a whole
week, and ate turkey, fish, deer, sweet potatoes, corn
and pumpkin. They played games.
How Thanksgiving got its Name
But the first thing they did was to say a prayer of
Thanksgiving to God for giving them friends, food,
houses and a place to live where they could go to any
church they wanted.
Thanksgiving in America
Today
Thanksgiving has been
celebrated every year in
the USA since 1863, but in
1941, it was made an
official national holiday by
president Roosevelt.
Each year as a holiday
tradition, the President of
the United States pardons a
turkey.
President Reagan, 1983.
Traditional Turkey Day Foods
Each year, Americans eat typical foods, usually some of
the same ones from the first Thanksgiving Dinner.
Sweet Corn
Roasted Turkey
Bread Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
and Gravy
Pumpkin Pie
Cranberry Sauce
Thanksgiving Traditions
During Thanksgiving dinner,
most families take a moment
and say a Thanksgiving
prayer or have each person
say what they are thankful
for that year.
Traveling on Thanksgiving
This year, it is
estimated that 37
million Americans will
be traveling on or
around Thanksgiving
Day.
On Thanksgiving Day,
families and friends usually
gather for a large meal or
dinner. Because of this,
Thanksgiving holiday
weekend is one of the
busiest travel periods of the
year. In the United States,
Thanksgiving is a four-day
or five-day weekend
vacation in school and
college calendars.
Football on Thanksgiving
Every year on Thanksgiving
Day, many professional and
university football teams
play important games.
These games are on TV all
day, and most people
watch them.
Thanksgiving Parades
The most famous Thanksgiving
parade takes place in New York
City. It is called the Macy’s
Thanksgiving Parade. Many
American families watch this
parade on TV on Thanksgiving
morning. They also have parades
in other big cities.
The End!