Being grateful for what you have now, have received during the year and for the land you live on. If the history of this day was to be described, it would be very controversial. There are many factors leading to this holiday. There is the story many people consider as the first thanksgiving feast. This feast was celebrated by the pilgrims and Wampanoag, hundreds of years ago, when the pilgrims arrived and survived their first winter. Wampanoag had a habit of celebrating every good thing that used to happen. This habit was passed on to the European travellers that came to inhabit this new land.

There were many things the new inhabitants learned from the old one and so did the old inhabitants. Feasting was the one thing that became common for these two. Then came a Spanish explorer and his crew who also kept a day of thanking. They thanked their God for a whole day and then held a feast. This makes a lot of historians doubtful on when the first Thanksgiving was actually celebrated.

Nevertheless thanksgiving day has been set. Even though some people may still not agree to the day. The first time thanksgiving day was celebrated officially across the country was in 1863, when Abraham Lincoln scheduled the last Thursday of November to be thanksgiving day. It was because Sarah Josepha Hale a noted writer and editor who had even written “Mary had a little lamb” had been requesting politicians to make thanksgiving day a national holiday. One can call her the originator for the official day. But that was not to continue for long.

Soon after that there was a time of great depression, which struck everyone. Franklin D. Roosevelt wanted people to spend money and for that reason he moved Thanksgiving day up a week. People did not react well to this. He got a very passionate opposition, which made him sign a bill which made the fourth Thursday in November, Thanksgiving day. This still continues, as we still celebrate it on the fourth Thursday of November.

People have strayed from what Thanksgiving day actual was celebrated for in the past, now it is a day where families sit down together, eat special dishes like pumpkin pie, turkey and mashed potato and express gratitude for what they have. Even though this is the way it is celebrated now, it is a good day. All the history has led to this day being a good national holiday. May we have many more years to celebrate this day.