The first winter of the Pilgrims was very tough which they survived with cultivation of crops. They were taught this with the help of the native Indians who lived in Plymouth. After the bountiful harvest that they made, all of them got together for a thanksgiving feast. This tradition was however not continued in the years to come. It was only in June 1676 when this day was again celebrated on the 29th of the month as the Thanksgiving Day. Another time after a hundred years, the Thanksgiving feast was repeated in the year 1777 to celebrate victory of British over Saratoga. This however also was a one-time affair. .

In the year 1863, President Lincoln announced the last Thursday of the month of November as a national holiday for the country. It was after the efforts of Sarah Josepha Hale who was a magazine editor that this day got its due recognition. The day schedule was however changed after raised voices and it was shifted to be the fourth Thursday of the month of November to be the Thanksgiving Day for the nation.