Thanksgiving in America

The Puritans

• From England• Belonged to the

same church• Opposed the

Church of England

• They were considered radical to the rest of England

King James I

• The King of England, James the 1st, required all citizens to attend the Church of England. All those opposed were thrown in jail.

Puritans vs. King James• Religion came first to the Puritans,

and King James soon realized that his tactics did not work. They chose to be thrown in jail rather than surrender their religious freedom. In response, King James provided the Puritans with an ultimatum: go to jail, or leave England.

The Mayflower• The Pilgrims set sail on September 6th, 1620.• The ship was called ¨The Mayflower¨.

- Conditions were difficult.

- Many died on the journey due to disease

& illness.

The Mayflower

The Pilgrims Arrive in America

• With the intent of arriving in New York, the Puritans miscalculated their journey and wound up a bit north, in Massachusetts.

• They landed in a place Plymouth.

The First Winter in America

• The Pilgrims arrived in America at a terrible time. The winter was cold and harsh, and they had little to no food or shelter. Many more died.

Native Americans• When the Pilgrims arrived, there were

natives already living near Plymouth. As they saw the Pilgrims suffering, they offered their help. The Pilgrims were taught how to farm and build their own shelter.

The Second Year

• Using all of their newly-found knowledge, the Pilgrims were able to have an abundant and successful harvest, and plenty of shelter for the following winter.

The First Thanksgiving Dinner

• Out of appreciation, the Pilgrims held their first feast to honor and thank the Indians for their help. The celebration lasted three days, and was filled with eating, drinking and dancing.

The name: Thanksgiving

• Before eating, everyone preyed, giving thanks for food, shelter, family and new-found friends, the Indians. They ate an abundance of turkey, sweet potatoes, corn and pumpkin. All these foods are still staples on Thanksgiving Day.

Thanksgiving in America Today

• Thanksgiving has been celebrated every year in the U.S.A since 1863, but was named an official national holiday by President Roosevelt in 1941.

President Obama pardoning the annual turkey

Traditional ¨Turkey Day¨ Foods

StuffingCranberry Sauce

Pumpkin Pie Corn Pudding

Roasted Turkey

Green Bean Casserole

Thanksgiving Day Traditions

• Before eating, most families will go around the table, saying a prayer or what they are thankful for this year.

Vegetarian Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day Travel• On Thanksgiving Day,

families and friends usually gather for a large meal or dinner. It is common to live far away from home, and because of this, Thanksgiving holiday weekend is one of the busiest travel periods of the year.

Thanksgiving is always the 4th Thursday in November.

Students usually have 5 day weekends.

Annual Thanksgiving Day Parades

• The most famous Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York City, and is called ¨The Macy´s Thanksgiving Day Parade¨. It is nationally televised in the morning, and families watch it all over the country. Other parades take place in large cities like St. Louis, Chicago, and even at Disney World!

Football on Thanksgiving

• Every year, many professional and college teams play important games on Thanksgiving. Often they face their rivals. After a day full of turkey, everyone watches football on the television.

And Then…….