Lance Matheson Mrs. Thomas English 10b15/12/13Thanksgiving Many Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, but little do they know why they celebrate it. Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks and be grateful for what you have. Whether it's giving to your community or eating with your family, Thanksgiving is a very humble holiday. Thanksgiving dates back to the first settlers and is traditionally an American holiday. This article will talk about three main topics: the origin, the purpose and, of course, the practices. You may think you know the facts and basics about Thanksgiving, but this article will delve into these three topics. To learn about Thanksgiving you need to know where the holiday comes from and why it is the holiday we know today. In 1621, the Wampanoag Indians and Plymouth colonists held a fall harvest festival that is one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, Thanksgiving was celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn't until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln decided that a national Thanksgiving should be held every November. Thanksgiving is one of the most important holidays of the year. Thanksgiving has been an annual holiday in the United States since 1863. Not everyone sees Thanksgiving as a happy and thankful day. Every year since 1970, a group of Native Americans and their supporters have protested a national day of mourning at Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts on Thanksgiving Day. They protest Thanksgiving because it's a reminder of all the bad things the settlers did to the Indians so we could celebrate Thanksgiving. The settlers killed and drove the Indians from their lands so they could expand with their territory. American Indian Heritage Day is also celebrated during this time