Thanksgiving History Trivia

The first Thanksgiving, painting by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris

Here are a few interesting facts about Thanksgiving.


1. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November in the United States.

2. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the second Monday in October in Canada.

3. The Plymouth Pilgrims were the first to celebrate the Thanksgiving.

4. The Pilgrims arrived in North America in December 1620.

5. The Pilgrims sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to reach North America.

6. The pilgrims sailed on the ship, which was known by the name of 'Mayflower'.

7. They celebrated the first Thanksgiving Day in the fall of 1621.

8. They celebrated the first Thanksgiving Day at Plymouth, Massachusetts.

9. The drink that the Puritans brought with them in the Mayflower was the beer.

10. The Wampanoag Indians were the people who taught the Pilgrims how to cultivate the land.

Thanksgiving History - A Proclamation

Read the following statement:

"Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor, and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me "to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness"

Do you know where this statement originated? It was George Washington making a Thanksgiving Proclamation on October 3, 1789. This was the first time such a proclamation was
designated by the new United States government.

I wonder what would happen if a President said this today? Your thoughts...

Part of original document.

Early Socialism in America

Did you know that some of the first settlements in America practiced socialism?

On May 13th, 1607 104 colonists arrived in the new world and established the Jamestown settlement, named after King James. The original settlers were all men or boys and lived under a communal system, a form of socialism.

All food was stored in a common pool and shared among the colonists. This eventually led to a small percentage of colonists who actually worked. The Jamestown colony was headed for failure and even called the period, "The Starving Time".

Realizing that communal sharing did not work, colony leaders decided to give each settler a plot of land to grow and produce what they wanted. Production increased and buying and selling of goods began. The colony had established a form of capitalism and started to prosper.

History once again reminds us that "spreading the wealth" is not an answer.