A Brief History of Thanksgiving: Origins, Celebrations, and Why Turkey Became the Main Event

Every fourth Thursday of November, Americans sit down to a meal that's become so ingrained in the culture it feels timeless. Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce—it all seems inevitable, historically inevitable. But the truth about Thanksgiving is far more complicated, surprising, and honestly, more interesting than the story most of us learned in school.

THE ACTUAL FIRST THANKSGIVING (1621)

Here's what we know: In fall 1621, Pilgrims at Plymouth Colony held a harvest celebration, with the Wampanoag people in attendance. That much is documented.

Here's what we don't know: Almost everything else.

The Pilgrims came ashore on Wampanoag land, and the Wampanoag had already had contact with English people. Tribal leaders were wary but formed an alliance for strategic purposes, and shared knowledge about hunting and planting that saved the Pilgrims from starvation.

The 1621 event was not called "the First Thanksgiving" until the 1830s, more than two centuries after it happened. The Pilgrims themselves probably didn't view it as historic. We know about it primarily because Plymouth colonist Edward Winslow wrote a letter describing the meal, mentioning that four settlers went fowling and provided enough food to last the company almost a week, and that many of the Wampanoag came, including their leader Massasoit with 90 men, and they entertained and feasted for three days.

That's literally the only detailed firsthand account.

WHAT THEY ACTUALLY ATE

Here's where it gets interesting: The traditional Thanksgiving menu bears almost no resemblance to the 1621 meal.

The meal consisted of deer, corn, shellfish, and roasted meat. Historians are unsure if turkey was served, and turkey would have been rare in New England at the time. Pie would not have been present due to lack of butter or wheat flour, and potatoes would not have been brought to New England yet.

So yes—no turkey, no pie, no mashed potatoes, no cranberry sauce as we know it. The romantic image of Pilgrims and Native Americans sharing a feast has little basis in historical fact.

THE COMPLICATED TRUTH

Here's what's important to acknowledge: The Wampanoag helped the Pilgrims survive, but within a generation, war would erupt and the Wampanoag would lose their political independence and much of their territory. The peace celebrated between the English and Wampanoag in 1621 did not last long, and colonists sometimes celebrated days of thanksgiving to commemorate violence against Native enemies.

For many Native Americans, Thanksgiving isn't a celebration—it's a painful reminder of the devastating impact of European colonization on Indigenous people.

HOW THANKSGIVING BECAME A NATIONAL HOLIDAY

The 1621 feast might have stayed forgotten if not for one person: Sarah Josepha Hale, born in New Hampshire in 1784, who published poetry as a young widow and later wrote "Mary Had a Little Lamb".

In the 1840s, Sarah Josepha Hale read an account of the 1621 event, connected the feast to contemporary Thanksgiving celebrations, and began advocating for a national Thanksgiving holiday in 1846. She became the editor of the popular magazine Godey's Lady's Book, and fiercely campaigned for the creation of an annual national holiday of "Thanksgiving and Praise" commemorating the Pilgrims' thanksgiving feast.

It was her letter to Abraham Lincoln that inspired him to declare a national Thanksgiving Day, which he hoped would unify the country in the midst of the Civil War. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday on the last Thursday of November.

Even then, it took time to stick. In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving to the second to last Thursday of November, concerned that the shortened holiday shopping season might dampen economic recovery from the Great Depression. Sixteen states refused to accept the change, and for two years Thanksgiving was celebrated on two different days. In 1941, Congress passed a law establishing the fourth Thursday in November as the federal Thanksgiving Day holiday.

WHY TURKEY BECAME THE MAIN EVENT

Here's the shocking part: Turkey is commonly portrayed as a centerpiece of the First Thanksgiving meal, although it is not mentioned in primary sources.

So how did turkey become so synonymous with Thanksgiving?

Most modern Thanksgiving traditions began in the mid-19th century, more than two centuries after the Pilgrims' first harvest celebration. Turkey didn't become widely synonymous with Thanksgiving until the mid-19th century, largely thanks to the efforts of Sarah Josepha Hale, who became known as the "mother of Thanksgiving".

In 1827, in her novel Northwood: a Tale of New England, Hale devoted a chapter to describing her ideal version of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, where "the roasted turkey took precedence on this occasion, being placed at the head of the table".

When colonist William Bradford's journals were reprinted in 1856 after being lost for at least half a century, they found a receptive audience with advocates who wanted Thanksgiving turned into a national holiday. Bradford had written about how the colonists hunted wild turkeys during autumn 1621, and because turkey is a uniquely North American bird, it gained traction as the Thanksgiving meal of choice.

WHY TURKEY MADE PRACTICAL SENSE

While live cows and hens were useful as long as they were producing milk and eggs respectively, turkeys were generally raised only for their meat and thus could be readily killed. A single turkey was usually big enough to feed a family.

Modern industrialization of poultry involved selecting for larger and larger breast size and animals that would grow to maturity super quickly and produce more meat faster. In the 20th century, turkeys were bred specifically for large feasts like Thanksgiving, with the Broad Breasted White turkey growing to over 40 pounds.

Modern breeding practices have helped make turkeys both larger and cheaper than ever, ensuring their continued place on the Thanksgiving table.

THE MARKETING THAT STUCK

Alexander Hamilton once remarked, "No citizen of the U.S. shall refrain from turkey on Thanksgiving Day". Throw in drawings of Uncle Sam carving turkeys at celebratory tables, a letter from Benjamin Franklin in which he touted the noble qualities of the bird in opposition to the bald eagle, and the fact that turkeys hatch in spring making them ready for slaughter by fall—and you've got Turkey Day.

OTHER THANKSGIVING FOODS ARE EVEN NEWER

Turkey might seem traditional, but other Thanksgiving staples are surprisingly recent inventions:

While cranberries may have been available at the first Thanksgiving and were bitter and unpopular in the colonies until later—when sugar from the Caribbean was cheaper and more abundant. Canned cranberry sauce first appeared in 1912 but was not sold nationally until 1941.

Pumpkin pie? Pumpkin pie's prominence as a Thanksgiving dessert is thanks to Sarah Josepha Hale, whose novel Northwood included the dish in a description of Thanksgiving foods.

WHAT THANKSGIVING IS TODAY

By the nineteenth century, the holiday focused less on religion and more on nostalgia, family, and togetherness. Today, nearly 90 percent of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving according to the National Turkey Federation.

The holiday has evolved from a relatively unknown harvest celebration into something uniquely American—a day about gathering, gratitude, and food. Whether that food is authentic to history matters less than what it represents: togetherness, tradition, and taking time to pause and appreciate what we have.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Thanksgiving as we know it is mostly 19th-century invention. The turkey connection is largely marketing and practicality. The "First Thanksgiving" story has been mythologized beyond recognition. And for many Native Americans, the holiday remains a complicated and painful reminder of colonization.

But that doesn't make modern Thanksgiving meaningless. Holidays evolve. Stories get reinterpreted. What matters now is understanding the actual history—the complicated, messy, human history—and choosing to celebrate thoughtfully, knowing what came before.

The turkey sits on your table because Sarah Josepha Hale decided it should, because it was practical, because it became traditional. But the gathering around the table? That part has always mattered.