When the first settlers arrived in Jamestown in April 1607 and raised a cross at Cape Henry, claiming the land for England, they may have had a thanksgiving predating their first known observance in 1619. In that year, Berkeley Hundred was settled, one of a number of plantations granted by the Virginia Co. of London to its stockholders.

While the 1621 feast wasn’t called “Thanksgiving” at the time, it set the stage for a holiday that would become a cornerstone of American culture. The modern version of Thanksgiving was proclaimed a national holiday by Abraham Lincoln in 1863, during the Civil War, as a time to unite and reflect.

Thanksgiving in the United States is based on a mythical feast between the Wampanoag people and Mayflower Pilgrims. The holiday's real story is mixed with national unity and racial exclusion. The big picture: The nation's annual Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday brings millions of families together,

Here's a bit of history about Thanksgiving and traditions surrounding the holiday. Who attended the first Thanksgiving? In the lead-up to the 2020 ele

Thanksgiving has been synonymous with things like turkey, food, Native Americans, pilgrims and much more for generations, but the day of thanks has been an ever-evolving holiday since it was first reportedly held before the United States existed as a country.