7 Thanksgiving controversies: Date change, mentions of God, ‘Day of Mourning’
First Thanksgiving debate
If asked where they think the first Thanksgiving occurred, most Americans will likely answer that it was in Massachusetts, specifically Plymouth in 1621, featuring a great community meal between Pilgrims and Indians.
However, multiple places in what is now the United States have staked a claim to being the real first Thanksgiving, among them Berkeley Plantation in Virginia, which held a similar meal of thanks in December of 1619.
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For its part, the National Park Service has identified St. Augustine, Florida, as the site of the real first thanksgiving, noting that their observance was held in 1565, or nearly 60 years before Plymouth.
“The thanksgiving at St. Augustine was celebrated 56 years before the Puritan Pilgrim thanksgiving at Plymouth Plantation (Massachusetts), but it did not become the origin of a national annual tradition,” the National Park Service added.
“During the 18th century, British forces won out over those of Spain and France for mastery over the continent. Thus, British observances, such as the annual reenactment of the Pilgrims’ harvest festival in 1621, became a national practice.”
