By Richard Blakley
Historian David Barton, founder of Wall Builders, had this to say concerning Thanksgiving Day:
The tradition of Thanksgiving as a time to focus on God and thank Him for His blessings dates back almost four centuries in America. While thanksgiving celebrations occurred …[from 1541 to 1607] it is from the Pilgrim festival of 1621 that we derive the current tradition of Thanksgiving.
Pilgrims sailed for America on September 6, 1620, braving the sea for two months. Arriving at Plymouth Rock, they held a prayer service, and began hastily building shelters. Being unprepared for the harsh New England winter, half of them died.
Spring’s approach brought an Indian named Samoset to the Pilgrim’s settlement. Greeting them in English, Samoset explained he learned English from fishermen and traders. Returning, Samoset brought his friend Squanto, who lived with the Pilgrims, accepting their Christian faith. Pilgrim Governor William Bradford described Squanto as “a special instrument sent of God for [our] good . . . and never left [us] till he died.” Squanto instructed Pilgrims how to live in the New World and forged a long-lasting peace treaty between Pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians.
With persevering prayer and help from the Indians, the summer of 1621 produced a bountiful harvest. Pilgrim Edward Winslow (who later became Governor) stated, “by the goodness of God, we are far from want.” Grateful Pilgrims therefore declared a three-day feast in December 1621 to thank God and to celebrate with their Indian friends — which is known as America’s first Thanksgiving Festival. The Ninety Wampanoag Indians and fifty Pilgrims three-day feast included shellfish, lobsters, turkey, corn bread, berries, deer, and other foods. Also, there were athletic events and prayers. This is the origin of the holiday Americans now celebrate each November.
While 1621 was a good harvest, 1623 had an extended and prolonged drought. Without a change in the weather there would be no harvest, and the winter would be filled with death and starvation. “Governor Bradford called the Pilgrims to a time of prayer and fasting to seek God’s direct intervention.” Shortly after the prayer — and to the great amazement of the Indian witnesses — the sky filled with clouds and a gentle and steady rain began to fall. The drought being broken, there was an abundant harvest, and Governor Bradford declared another celebration of Thanksgiving. The Pilgrim practice of Thanksgiving spread into neighboring colonies with an annual tradition of calling for a day of prayer and fasting in the spring, and a day of prayer and thanksgiving in the fall.
Spreading Thanksgiving celebrations during the American Revolution, Congress issued eight separate national Thanksgiving Proclamations. Thanksgiving Day occurred continually with numerous proclamations made by state governors and Congress for a day of Thanksgiving to God. One written by the Continental Congress in 1777 by signers of the Declaration, Samuel Adams and Richard Henry Lee, stated: