Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving Day, Holiday is currently celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November, and has been an annual tradition in the
United States since 1863. Thanksgiving in the United States was historically a religious observation to give thanks to God.
It is thought that the first Thanksgiving was celebrated to give thanks to God for helping the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony survive their first brutal winter
in New England. The first Thanksgiving feast lasted three days providing enough food for 53 pilgrims and 90 Native Americans.
The feast consisted of fowl, venison, fish, lobster, clams, berries, fruit, pumpkin, and squash. William Bradford's note that, "besides waterfowl,
there was great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many," probably gave rise to the American tradition of eating turkey at Thanksgiving.
The Pilgrims Thanksgiving story holds a special role in American history. Rather than being entrepreneurs like many of the
settlers of Jamestown, a significant proportion of the citizens of Plymouth were fleeing religious persecution and searching for a place to worship
as they saw fit. The social and legal systems of the colony became closely tied to their religious beliefs, as well as English custom. Many of the
people and events surrounding Plymouth Colony have become part of American folklore, including the North American tradition known as Thanksgiving
and the monument known as Plymouth Rock.
Thanksgiving Dinner coloring pages are a great way to teach the history of this important American event and holiday.
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