The student news site of Carlmont High School in Belmont, California.

Scot Scoop News

The student news site of Carlmont High School in Belmont, California.

Scot Scoop News

The student news site of Carlmont High School in Belmont, California.

Scot Scoop News

History of Thanksgiving

“I don’t know very much [about Thanksgiving]. Just about the pilgrims and giving thanks,” stated senior Hannah Lassman. Most of us know about the pilgrims and their feast, but how did it go from that day to now? It all started in the year 1621 when the Mayflower landed on Plymouth Rock in Autumn.

Colonists were helped by the Wampanoag Native American Tribe, who taught them many different things to help them survive. The cooperation and interaction between the English colonists and Native Americans lead up to a 3 day feast. It became known as the First Thanksgiving.

In the nineteenth  century most states celebrated Thanksgiving though the date varied between weeks or even months. Sarah Josepha Hale set about to establish a national Thanksgiving Day; she wrote letters to politicians. Abraham Lincoln rewarded her in 1863 and made the last Thursday in November Thanksgiving Day.

In the twentieth century it was a welcome day of leisure from a six day work week. In the 1920’s the national football league formed. The Detroit Lions made the Thanksgiving Day Game to draw more people to the games. Soon, the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was held in 1924 and has continued from then on.

When the Pilgrims had their first Thanksgiving they ate clams, to dried currents, to cranes and geese, to pumpkins, grapes and peas! All sorts of foods grown around places where they live.

Senior, Tyler Colgate, said “I eat turkey. Turkey with lots of gravy! Everything floating in gravy!” Today some people eat the traditional turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, etc., but people have come up with new ideas to add to our menu. Some of the new foods include Turducken and deep fried turkey.

Turducken is basically a chicken inside a duck, with both of them inside a turkey. It is sewed up after the birds and stuffing are placed inside. In the end the turkey weighs up to 16-18 pounds.

Thanksgiving is a day to reconnect with family and friends, to take a break, and be thankful.

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The student news site of Carlmont High School in Belmont, California.
History of Thanksgiving