did thanksgiving originate in the U.S. or brought over from Europe?

Answer 1

Although there is record of earlier thanksgiving celebrations (most notably in 1619 at Berkeley Plantation, Virginia), Americans trace their traditional Thanksgiving holiday to one celebrated in 1621. This celebration was held at the Plymouth Colony, now in the state of Massachusetts. The English Pilgrims who had founded the colony marked the occasion by feasting with Native American guests—members of the Wampanoag tribe—who brought gifts of food as a gesture of goodwill. Although this event was an important part of American colonial history, there is no evidence that any of the participants thought of the feast as a thanksgiving celebration. Two years later, during a period of drought, a day of fasting and prayer was changed to one of thanksgiving because rains came during the prayers. Gradually the custom prevailed among New Englanders to annually celebrate Thanksgiving after the harvest.

Colonial governments and, later, state governments took up the Puritan custom of designating thanksgiving days to commemorate various public events. Gradually the tradition of holding annual thanksgiving holidays spread throughout New England and into other states. During the American Revolution (1775-1783) the Continental Congress proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving following the American victory at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777. U.S. president George Washington proclaimed another day of thanksgiving in 1789 in honor of the ratification of the Constitution of the United States. In 1817 New York State adopted Thanksgiving Day as an annual custom, and many other states soon did the same. Most of the state celebrations were held in November, but not always on the same day.

In the mid-19th century Sarah Josepha Hale, editor of Godey’s Ladies Book, led a movement to establish Thanksgiving as a national holiday. In 1863, during the American Civil War (1861-1865), President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November to be Thanksgiving Day in order to bolster the Union’s morale. After the war, Congress established Thanksgiving as a national holiday, but widespread national observance caught on only gradually. Many Southerners saw the new holiday as an attempt to impose Northern customs on them. However, in the late 19th century Thanksgiving’s emphasis on home and family appealed to many people throughout the United States. As a distinctly American holiday, Thanksgiving was also considered an introduction to American values for the millions of immigrants then entering the country.

Answer 2

After the Mayflower arrived in America, it's passengers
"the Pilgrims" faced harsh conditions while trying to settle in the "New World". Alot of the Pilgrims were very sick, or on the verge of starvation. Thier neighboring Native American tribe was preperaring for a big feast, and decided to invite the Pilgrims over for dinner. The Pilgrims were well fed, and later were given medicinal herbs to help with their digestive tract problems.

This feast was the beginning of Thanksgiving.
The Pilgrims never thanked those kind Native Americans that saved their lives. Thanks was only given to God. According to the Pilgrims(they were religious fanatics), it was the Lord who prepared these "disposible people" in advance, to serve the White
Man. When their(Native American tribe that saved the Pilgrims) mission was complete(a couple years after the big Feast), The Pilgrims began slaughtering their neighboring Native American tribes and taking their land.

Giving thanks to God is a must, but
These days us Americans still don't give thanks to the Native Americans.

I really don't like celebrating Thanksgiving.
Here's an example of a simplified equivalent to the historical events surrounding the first Thanksgiving.

"Family A" invited "Family B" for dinner.
After the feast, "Family B" decided to kill everyone in "Family A", and take their house. Every year on the day that "Family A" prepared that feast, "Family B" has some sort of celebration, which involves cookiing the same food that their murdered hosts(Family A) provided earlier.

Answer 3

Long before the first Europeans arrived in North America, farmers in Europe celebrated by "Giving Thanks" for their good fortune at harvest time. The farm workers filled a curved goat's horn with fruits and grains. That symbol was called a "Cornucopia" or "Horn of Plenty"
The first Thanksgiving in the U.S. was at Plymouth Rock after the Europeans (Pilgrims) got settled. They were thanking God for his goodness and their new homes, new lands, and new friends (the Indians)
So the answer is that it originated in Europe.

Answer 4

It began in the U.S. Happy Thanksgiving!

Answer 5

There is no way to know the beginning, but people have had harvest festivals for many thousands of years. The american version is fairly new.

Answer 6

Thanksgiving has it's roots in English harvest festivals.

Answer 7

It began by the American Indians preventing foreigners from starving to death on their shores by feeding them and teaching them to how feed themselves........... And how do these foreigners thank the American Indians for saving their lives is by wiping them out by the tens of thousand and taking over their land And starving thousands of them to death and infecting with European disease on purpose, and the real simple fact is not treating them with the same respect that the Americans Indians treated them.............. Then the white man started telling the world what a great chapter it was in the history of the white man to betray the people that saved them.................. Thanksgiving started here in America....................................

Answer 8

Wow.. great answer Angelfood They TYPE of celebration is English, but ours is us celebrating our success in the 'new world' away from mother England with our new native American brothers (estranged now, apparently)

Answer 9

began on Turtle Island actually since this was before the United States was officially declared a country.

Answer 10

WHERE WAS YOU KINDERGARTEN TEACHER?! This is elementary school American History stuff. Wherever you go to school, your parents need to go to the school tax office and ask for a refund, you got ripped off.