The American national holiday of Thanksgiving originated from a 1621 harvest feast shared by the Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag people, but it was not established as an annual federal holiday until 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln. The First Harvest Celebration (1621) In the autumn of 1621, after a successful first corn harvest, the 53 surviving Pilgrims of the Plymouth Colony held a three-day celebration and invited around 90 Wampanoag men, including their leader Massasoit. The Wampanoag contributed five deer to the feast, which also featured fowl, fish, eels, shellfish, and local produce like corn, squash, and possibly cranberries. This event was a harvest festival, not a "Thanksgiving" in the Pilgrims' religious sense (which were days of fasting and solemn prayer). The modern holiday's association with this event was a later development. Early Observances: For over two centuries, "thanksgiving" days were celebrated sporadically by individual colonies and states, often to give thanks for specific events like the end of a drought or a military victory. National Proclamations: The Continental Congress issued several thanksgiving proclamations during the American Revolution. President George Washington issued the first national Thanksgiving proclamation in 1789, but the tradition was not consistently followed by his successors. Sarah Josepha Hale's Campaign: The magazine editor Sarah Josepha Hale, author of "Mary Had a Little Lamb," campaigned for 36 years to establish Thanksgiving as a national holiday. She wrote numerous letters to politicians, governors, and presidents to gain support for her cause. Lincoln's Proclamation (1863): In the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln, inspired by Hale's efforts, issued a proclamation declaring a national Thanksgiving Day to be celebrated on the last Thursday in November. He hoped the holiday would help to unify the divided nation. Official Federal Holiday (1941): The date was celebrated on the last Thursday of November every year until 1939, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved it up a week to extend the Christmas shopping season and boost the economy. This caused confusion, so in 1941, Congress passed a joint resolution officially establishing the fourth Thursday of November as a federal Thanksgiving Day holiday. Today, Thanksgiving is a secular holiday focused on gratitude, family, and food. Modern traditions include a large meal featuring turkey and other dishes, parades (like the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which started in 1924), and American football games. However, for many Native Americans, the holiday is a reminder of the conflict and loss of land that followed European settlement, and some observe it as a National Day of Mourning.