A Thanksgiving Timeline to Help You Figure Out the History

During the autumn, the harvest season, various harvest festivals with similar names are held all over the world, the most well-known of which is Thanksgiving Day. Thanksgiving Day, outside of the United States, is sometimes called American Thanksgiving Day. It is a national holiday in the United States and is certainly one of the country’s biggest festivals throughout the year.

However, due to its long history and the fact that the specific date has been changed many times. Therefore, it is difficult for a person who doesn’t know it at all to completely understand it just by reading the text. Then, at this time, we can use the more intuitive timeline to sort it out. In this article, we will use a Thanksgiving timeline to introduce Thanksgiving and clarify its history briefly.

• Part 1. What is Thanksgiving
• Part 2. Timeline of Thanksgiving History
• Part 3. Best Thanksgiving Timeline Maker
• Part 4. FAQs

Part 1. What is Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a national holiday in the United States and Canada but on slightly different dates. The United States celebrates it on the fourth Thursday in November, and Canada on the second Monday in October. It is also unofficially celebrated on different dates in Brazil, the Philippines, Germany, and some other countries and regions. For this reason, it is sometimes referred to as American Thanksgiving to distinguish it from similar celebrations in the Canadian region and elsewhere.

Moreover, Thanksgiving has its origins in the harvest festival. The theme of the festival focuses on being thankful for the harvest and God’s blessings over the past year. The centerpiece of the celebration is the Thanksgiving dinner, where turkey is the traditional main course. Other ingredients native to the Americas, such as mashed potatoes, corn, cranberry sauce, and more, are also included.

Other Thanksgiving customs include charitable organizations and businesses serving Thanksgiving dinner to the poor, attending religious services, and watching television events such as Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and America‘s Thanksgiving Parade. Since Thanksgiving usually has a four-to five-day holiday that includes a weekend, many people will return to their hometowns to be with their loved ones on this day. So, the days around Thanksgiving can be said to be one of the busiest days of the year for traffic.

Part 2. Timeline of Thanksgiving History

As it was mentioned above, the date of Thanksgiving is celebrated at different times in many different places, and just to talk about the United States, it has changed its date many times over the centuries. So, a timeline to sort out these historical events related to Thanksgiving in chronological order is necessary for us to understand Thanksgiving in more depth. Here is a timeline of the United States as an example.

The above is a self-made timeline of the American Thanksgiving history using MindOnMap, along with the share link.

The following is a detailed explanation of Thanksgiving history.

1619- English colonists who arrived on Berkeley Hundred on the ship Margaret celebrated Thanksgiving in Virginia.

1621- Pilgrims and Native Americans celebrated Thanksgiving in Plymouth (now Massachusetts) for a good harvest. It is also often considered the first Thanksgiving.

1789- President George Washington called for November 26 to be celebrated as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer in the United States to give thanks for the end of the War of Independence.

1863- President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November as a national holiday of Thanksgiving. His action was intended to promote the unity of the northern and southern states. But, due to the effects of the ongoing Civil War, this date didn’t become the true Thanksgiving for the entire States until the 1870s.

1924- The first Thanksgiving Day Parade was held by Macy’s, a famous department store in the United States. Macy's department in New York City launched its first parade on Thanksgiving Day, 1924.

1939- President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a presidential proclamation to change the holiday to the penultimate Thursday in November for fear that a shorter Christmas season would hurt the economy’s business reasons.

1941- President Franklin D. Roosevelt officially changed the date of Thanksgiving from the last Thursday of November to the fourth Thursday of November to boost the U.S. economy. And then this date continues to this day.

Part 3. Best Thanksgiving Timeline Maker

As we have mentioned above, Thanksgiving is celebrated on different dates in different regions, and there have been changes in the dates in the same region, such as the United States. So, those who want to learn more about this festival may feel confused when looking for information. This is when using a tool to make a timeline of its entire history becomes necessary. MindOnMap is an excellent choice. The timeline of Thanksgiving history that was used as a demonstration in the previous part was made using it.

MindOnMap is an easy-to-use mind mapping tool. It has various types of diagrams, such as Org-charts maps, tree maps, flowcharts, and more. So, it's really easy to make a Thanksgiving timeline worksheet with it. In addition, it is compatible with multiple platforms. You can download it on Windows or Mac or access it directly online through any browser. Moreover, it has a variety of mind map templates to help you get started quickly; all kinds of icons can help you add a little fun and uniqueness to your timeline worksheet. You can also insert some images and links as an aid in the production process to make the structure of your timeline charts clearer and more concise!

Part 4. FAQs