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DOGO News - Kids news articles search results for thanksgiving! Kids current events; plus kids news on science, sports, and more!

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Read our kids news articles on thanksgivings.

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There's always room for dessert!!!

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Old-Fashioned Mincemeat Pies

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American cookery before the Civil War was, to a large extent, about food preservation, as there was little refrigeration. Most foods were local; railroads had not yet been built out from coast to coast. Mince pie is part of that tradition. Beef was a large part of the American diet, and there was always a great deal of leftover cooked beef. Mince pie was an obvious and easy way to use leftovers creatively. A real mince pie was more than just dried fruit and spices; it was based on leftover meat that was minced and combined with spices, rum, dried fruit and sugar. The process helped preserve the meat, which was an added benefit. Mince pie was so much part of the culinary landscape in the early days of the republic that it even made its way into song:

Can she make mince pies, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?

Can she make mince pies, Billy Boy?

Yes she can make mince pies

Quick's a cat can wink its eyes;

But she's a young thing and cannot leave her mother.

Ingredients

Filling:
1 pound venison or lean beef, boiled and chopped

4 ounces suet

1 pound tart apples, peeled, cored, and chopped fine

3/4 cup beef broth (or reserved cooking liquid from meat)

1 1/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup cider

1/4 cup molasses

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 cup golden raisins

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice

1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Juice from one lemon

Juice from one orange

1/4 cup brandy
Pie:
Pastry dough for 9-inch double-crust pie

1 large egg white, lightly beaten
Makes a dozen mini pies

Instructions

1. For the filling: In large stock pot or Dutch oven, combine all ingredients except brandy and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add brandy and cool to room temperature.

2. For the pies: Place oven rack in middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.

3. Roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness and cut into 12 4-inch circles and 12 2-inch circles.

4. Line standard capacity muffin tin with larger circles, pressing dough firmly into pan edges; chill for 30 minutes if dough becomes soft.

5. Fill each cup to the top with about 1/3 cup mincemeat, top with smaller dough circles, then cut a slit or small circle in the center of each. Brush with egg white and bake until dough is golden brown and filling is bubbling, about 30 minutes.

6. Cool on wire rack 15 minutes, remove pies from pan, and continue to cool another 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Thanksgiving Cornucopia

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Desserts of the late 19th century often featured sponge cakes -- and they liked to play with their desserts to "fancy them up" as is the case with this recipe for Thanksgiving sponge cakes, found in The Boston Globe from Nov. 25, 1896. One baked individual rounds of sponge cake in 5-inch tins, took them out and rolled them slightly, put them into paper cornucopias made from writing paper, and then filled them with colored whipped cream and perhaps a bit of jelly as well. This is classic Victorian cooking from the age of Fannie Farmer.

Ingredients

Cake
6 large eggs, separated

1/4 teaspoon table salt

2/3 cup sugar, divided

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 tablespoon water

1 cup cake flour

Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
Filling
2 cups heavy cream chilled, preferably pasteurized or pasteurized organic

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 to 3 drops red food coloring

1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled slightly

Instructions

1. For the cake: Place oven rack in middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease and flour 2 6-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper circles, and set aside. Cut four 12-inch squares of parchment paper in half diagonally to form 8 triangles. Fold each triangle into a cone about 3 inches across and tape to secure. Place upright into eight drinking glasses and set aside.

2. Place egg whites and salt in bowl of standing mixer and beat at medium-high speed until frothy. Add 1/3 cup sugar in slow, steady stream and continue beating until mixture forms stiff peaks. Transfer whites to large bowl and wipe out mixing bowl. Add yolks, remaining sugar, water, and vanilla to now empty bowl and beat on medium-high speed until pale yellow and thick. Add yolk mixture to whites and sift 1/3 of cake flour over top.

3. Gently fold batter until traces of flour remain, then repeat twice more with remaining flour. Scrape 1 cup batter unto each pan and smooth to edges of pan. Bake 7 to 8 minutes, until edges of cake are just turning brown and top has set.

4. Run spatula around edges of cake to loosen and dust tops with confectioner's sugar. Flip each cake out of pan, remove parchment paper, and quickly roll cake into cone shape. Drop each cake into parchment cone and let cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes. Wipe out each cake pan, grease, flour, and line with parchment paper, and repeat 3 times with remaining cake batter.

5. For the filling: Chill deep bowl and beaters of electric mixer in freezer for at least 20 minutes. (If freezer is too crowded to fit bowl, place beaters in bowl, fill bowl with ice water, and chill on counter. When bowl and beaters are well chilled, dump out water and dry thoroughly.)

6. Add cream, sugar and vanilla to chilled bowl. Beat on low speed until small bubbles form, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium and continue beating until beaters leave a trail, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to high and continue beating until cream is smooth, thick and nearly doubled in volume, about 20 seconds for soft peaks or about 30 seconds for stiff peaks. If necessary, finish beating with whisk to adjust consistency.

7. In 3 small bowls, divide cream evenly into thirds, setting one aside. To another, add a couple drops of red food coloring add fold gently to combine evenly. To last third, gently fold in melted chocolate until combined. Remove parchment paper from cake cones, fill each with desired cream and arrange on serving platter, seam-side up. Dust with confectioner's sugar and serve immediately.

Nesselrode Pudding

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Named after a Russian diplomat, Count Nesselrode, this is a chestnut pudding made by mixing a chestnut puree with a sweet custard, lightened either with whipped egg whites or whipped cream. The mixture is then poured into a mold, decorated with glaceed fruits, steamed and served with a fruit syrup.

Ingredients

4 ounces candied fruit, cut into small pieces

1/4 cup sherry

1/2 cup dried currants

1/2 cup raisins

6 large egg yolks

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup chestnut puree

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons rum

1 cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks

1/2 cup shredded pineapple, drained

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, combine candied fruits and sherry and macerate for 30 minutes. In separate small bowl, cover currants and raisins with boiling water, and let sit until plumped and softened, about 30 minutes; drain well and let cool.

2. In medium bowl, whisk yolks, sugar, chestnut puree, vanilla and rum together until pale yellow and thickened, and then fold in whipped cream. Freeze in ice cream machine according to manufacturer's directions, until frozen but still soft.

3. Add fruits, raisins and pineapple, folding gently, then scrape mixture into mold and freeze until firm, 24 hours. To serve, unmold onto chilled platter and decorate with whipped cream if desired.

Cranberry Chiffon Pie

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Chiffon pies usually require no cooking and are refrigerator pies, usually thickened with gelatin (think key lime pie). This variation is made for Thanksgiving -- after all, it features cranberries.

Ingredients

1 envelope gelatin

1 cup cranberry juice

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

3 egg whites

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup corn syrup

1 baked 9-inch pie shell

Instructions

1. In small saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over cranberry juice and let stand 5 minutes. Over low heat, add sugar to pan and cook until dissolved, stirring constantly.

2. Remove from heat, pour into medium bowl and add lemon zest; chill until slightly thickened (should have jam-like consistency).

3. In bowl of standing mixer, beat whites with salt until stiff, then add corn syrup in a slow, steady stream. Continue beating until stiff and glossy.

4. Fold whites into cranberry mixture, scrape into pie shell and chill until completely set, about 3 hours, or up to 1 day ahead.

Mock Plum Pudding On Pineapple Slices

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Studies done by Woman's Day, California State University at Long Beach and the University of Arizona in the early 1970s found that 43 percent of the respondents served molded Jell-O salads at Thanksgiving -- a larger percentage than served wine. Although these recipes were considered either a side dish or a "salad," they could also be served as a dessert, as in this truly horrendous offering from the Dole Co. However, it is an excellent example of mid-20th century culinary butchery.

Ingredients

1 envelope gelatin

3 tablespoons cold water

1 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup granulated sugar

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

3/4 cup chopped dates

1/4 cup chopped candied citron

6 slices pineapple

Red and green candied cherries for garnish

Whipped cream for garnish

Makes 6 servings

Instructions

1. Sprinkle gelatin over water in small bowl and let sit for 5 minutes.

2. In small saucepan, combine milk and sugar together, and cook over medium-low heat until sugar has dissolved and mixture begins to simmer.

3. Place chocolate into medium bowl, and pour hot milk over top; whisk until chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth.

4. Add gelatin and whisk until dissolved. Chill until mixture just begins to thicken, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Add walnuts, dates and citron and fold until well combined. Divide mixture evenly between 6 ramekins and chill until completely set, at least 3 hours.

6. On serving platter or individual plates, arrange pineapple rings and unmold one pudding onto each; garnish with whipped cream and decorate the base with cherries.

Pear And Pumpkin Pie

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This recipe from Gourmet magazine reflects the upper end of the Thanksgiving dessert repertoire, when the desserts went from rustic and simple to elaborate and made for presentation. One poaches pears, places them on a partially baked pumpkin pie filling in the crust, finishes the baking and then serves with a ginger creme anglaise. Phew!

Ingredients

Poached Pears
1 tablespoon whole allspice berries

1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)

4 cups dry red wine

2 cups water

1 cup sugar

3 firm-ripe pears, such as Bosc, peeled
Filling
3 large eggs

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 1/2 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon table salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 cup apricot jam, heated and strained
Pie
Pastry dough for single-crust 9-inch pie

1 large egg white, lightly beaten

Makes 8 servings

Instructions

1. For the poached pears: In large saucepan, combine first 6 ingredients and bring to boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat to medium-low, add pears and simmer until firm-tender, about 20 minutes, turning occasionally. Cool pears in poaching liquid to room temperature, turning occasionally for even color, about 2 hours (pears can be made 1 day ahead and stored in poaching liquid in refrigerator overnight).

2. Once cool, remove pears (reserve liquid for another use or discard), half lengthwise, and remove stems and core with melon-ball cutter. Cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices and set aside. Place oven rack in lower-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.

3. Roll dough out to 12-inch circle. Fit into 9-inch pie plate and trim edge, leaving 1/2-inch overhang. Cut edge of dough with scissors every 1/2 inch to form curved points and brush with egg white. Chill shell 30 minutes.

4. For the filling: In large bowl, whisk all filling ingredients together until well combined. Pour filling into chilled shell and bake until edges have puffed slightly but center is still liquid-y, about 35 minutes. Remove pie from oven; arrange pear slices decoratively on top of filling.

5. Return pie to oven and bake until center is set but still jiggles, another 15 to 20 minutes. Cool pie on wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours, and then brush pears with jam. Chill pie, covered loosely, at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours. Serve at room temperature with ginger creme anglaise.

Ginger Creme Anglaise

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups half-and-half

1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped

3 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger

2 large eggs

1/4 cup sugar

Makes about 2 cups

Instructions

1. In small saucepan, combine half-and-half, vanilla bean and ginger and heat over medium heat until mixture just reaches simmer; remove from heat and let sit for 30 minutes. Fill large bowl with ice and cool water, set medium bowl on top and fit with strainer; set aside.

2. In medium bowl, whisk eggs and sugar together until thickened and fluffy. Slowly pour warm half-and-half mixture into eggs while whisking constantly. Return mixture to saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with heat-proof spatula or wooden spoon until mixture reaches 170 degrees. Immediately remove from heat and strain mixture into bowl set over ice bath. Stir until mixture cools to room temperature.

3. Chill sauce, covered, at least 2 hours or up to 2 days ahead.

Skillet Apple Pie

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Apple pie is an essential dish for Thanksgiving, yet it's perhaps the hardest dessert to master: making two layers of pie crust; getting flavor into the apples; making the filling sliceable but tasty; making the bottom crust crispy instead of soggy. Here's our quick and easy answer to the Apple Pie Problem. This recipe takes less than an hour to make, is foolproof and actually tastes better than the real thing (at least we think so).

Ingredients

Crust
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (5 ounces), plus more for dusting work surface

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon table salt

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening, chilled

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

3/4 tablespoons ice water
Filling
1/2 cup apple cider (see note)

1/3 cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice from 1 lemon

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 1/2 pounds sweet apples and tart apples (about 5 medium), peeled, cored, halved and cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges (see note)
Pie
1 egg white, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons sugar

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Instructions

1. For the crust: Pulse flour, sugar and salt in food processor until combined. Add shortening and process until mixture has texture of coarse sand, about ten 1-second pulses. Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture and process until mixture is pale yellow and resembles coarse crumbs, with butter bits no larger than small peas, about ten 1-second pulses. Transfer mixture to medium bowl.

2. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons ice water over mixture. With blade of rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix. Press down on dough with broad side of spatula until dough sticks together, adding up to 1 tablespoon more ice water if dough does not come together. Turn dough out onto sheet of plastic wrap and flatten into 4-inch disk. Wrap dough and refrigerate 30 minutes, or up to 2 days, before rolling out. (If dough is refrigerated longer than 1 hour, let stand at room temperature until malleable.)

3. For the filling: Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position (between 7 and 9 inches from heating element) and heat oven to 500 degrees. Whisk cider, syrup, lemon juice, cornstarch, and cinnamon (if using) together in medium bowl until smooth. Heat butter in 12-inch heatproof skillet over medium-high heat. When foaming subsides, add apples and cook, stirring 2 or 3 times until apples begin to caramelize, about 5 minutes. (Do not fully cook apples.) Remove pan from heat, add cider mixture and gently stir until apples are well coated. Set aside to cool slightly.

4. To assemble and bake: Roll out dough on lightly floured work surface, or between 2 large sheets of plastic wrap, to 11-inch circle. Roll dough loosely around rolling pin and unroll over apple filling in pan. Brush dough with egg white and sprinkle with sugar. With sharp knife, gently cut dough into 6 pieces by making 1 vertical cut followed by 2 evenly spaced horizontal cuts (perpendicular to first cut). Bake until apples are tender and crust is a deep golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes; serve.

5. Notes: If your skillet is not heatproof, precook the apples and stir in the cider mixture as instructed, then transfer the apples to a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Roll out the dough to a 13-by-9-inch rectangle, place on top of the apples, and bake as instructed. If you do not have apple cider, reduced apple juice may be used as a substitute: Simmer 1 cup apple juice in a small saucepan over medium heat until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 10 minutes).

6. Serve the pie warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Use a combination of sweet, crisp apples such as Golden Delicious and firm, tart apples such as Cortland or Empire.

7. Keys to a flaky, flavorful pie: 1. Caramelize Apples: Precook apples in butter to deepen their flavor. 2. Add Cider: Coat apples with 1/2 cup apple cider to create juicy, flavorful filling. 3. Cut Dough: Score before baking to allow juices to bubble up and caramelize around edges. 4. Bake in Hot Oven: Precooked apples need less time in oven than traditional apple pie.

from Cook's Illustrated, Sept. 2008

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Pass The Dessert: America's Thanksgiving Recipes

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For many of us, Thanksgiving is linked to memories of turkey, stuffing and cranberry dressing. But a culinary history of the "other" American holiday shows that a rich variety of desserts have been in and out of fashion over the decades. Chris Kimball of America's Test Kitchen features Thanksgiving favorites from days gone by.

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Yummy!

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Enjoy these delicious Thanksgiving recipes for kids including sweet potato pie, turkey cookies and marshmallow pilgrim hats. These simple and kids engaging recipes will definitely make your Thanksgiving dinner experience even more special. Kids love to participate in cooking and its plenty of fun working with them.
Ingredients:

Sweet potatoes -2 peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch cubes

Butter - 4 tablespoons, melted

Nutmeg - 1/2 teaspoon

Lemon juice - 1 tablespoon

Cinnamon - 1/2 teaspoon

Kosher salt - 1/2 teaspoon

Eggs - 3 separated

Sugar - 1/2 cup

All purpose flour 2 tablespoons

Buttermilk - 3/4 cup

Sweet piecrust shell baked -1

How to make thanksgiving sweet potato pie:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Pour water into a medium stockpot with a strainer basket and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add sweet potatoes, cover,and steam for about 20 minutes. Strain sweet potatoes, transfer to a large bowl, and let cool to room temperature. Mash them to a smooth puree with a potato masher. Add butter, lemon juice, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt, and mix well. In a small bowl, beat egg yolks with a whisk for about 30 seconds. Add sugar and beat well. Add egg mixture to sweet-potato mixture and stir until eggs are thoroughly incorporated and filling is a consistent bright orange color. Add flour a little at a time, and then add buttermilk and stir to combine well. Take another bowl, whisk egg whites to soft peaks, about 1 1/2 minutes. Gently fold egg whites into sweet potato buttermilk mixture until thoroughly combined. Pour mixture into prepared piecrust and bake on middle rack of oven until the center is firm for about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove pie from the oven and cool completely. Your thanksgiving sweet potato pie is ready to serve for kids and adults.

Ingredients:

12 chocolate-striped shortbread cookies

6 ounce package of chocolate chips

Tube of yellow decorators frosting

12 marshmallows

How to make thanksgiving marshmallow pilgrim hats:

Place the chocolate striped shortbread cookies stripes down on a wax-paper-covered tray, spacing them well apart. Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave. Then stick a wooden toothpick into a marshmallow, dip the marshmallow into the melted chocolate, and center it atop a cookie. Using asecond toothpick to lightly hold down the marshmallow, carefully pull out the first toothpick. Chill the marshmallow hats until the chocolate sets, then pipe a yellow decorators frosting buckle on the front of each hat. Your thanksgiving marshmallow pilgrim hats is ready.

16.5 oz pillsbury refrigerated sugar cookies

16 oz chocolate creamy frosting

Orange decorating icing

Candy corn

Black decorating gel

Miniature candy-coated chocolate baking bits

How to make thanksgiving turkey cookies for kids:
This is definitely one of the tasty thanksgiving recipes for kids that you should try for this year with your kids. Heat oven to 350°F. Bake cookies as directed on roll. Cool for about 20 minutes. Spoon chocolate frosting into resealable food-storage plastic bag. Make small hole in bottom corner of bag. On each cookie, pipe frosting on outer edge of half of cookie. Arrange candy corn over frosting for turkey feathers. Then pipe orange icing onto each cookie to resemble thanksgiving turkey face and feet. Use orange icing to attach baking bits to turkey face for eyes. Pipe black gel on baking bits for centers of eyes. Turkey cookies is ready to serve.

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Enjoy these delicious Thanksgiving recipes for kids including sweet potato pie, turkey cookies and marshmallow pilgrim hats. These simple and kids engaging recipes will definitely make your Thanksgiving dinner experience even more special. Kids...

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Thanksgiving at Plymouth

In September 1620, a small ship called the Mayflower left Plymouth, England, carrying 102 passengers-an assortment of religious separatists seeking a new home where they could freely practice their faith and other individuals lured by the promise of prosperity and land ownership in the "New World." After a treacherous and uncomfortable crossing that lasted 66 days, they dropped anchor near the tip of Cape Cod, far north of their intended destination at the mouth of the Hudson River. One month later, the Mayflower crossed Massachusetts Bay, where the Pilgrims, as they are now commonly known, began the work of establishing a village at Plymouth.

Did you know? Lobster, seal and swans were on the Pilgrims' menu.

Throughout that first brutal winter, most of the colonists remained on board the ship, where they suffered from exposure, scurvy and outbreaks of contagious disease. Only half of the Mayflower's original passengers and crew lived to see their first New England spring. In March, the remaining settlers moved ashore, where they received an astonishing visit from a member of the Abenaki tribe who greeted them in English.

Several days later, he returned with another Native American, Squanto, a member of the Pawtuxet tribe who had been kidnapped by an English sea captain and sold into slavery before escaping to London and returning to his homeland on an exploratory expedition. Squanto taught the Pilgrims, weakened by malnutrition and illness, how to cultivate corn, extract sap from maple trees, catch fish in the rivers and avoid poisonous plants. He also helped the settlers forge an alliance with the Wampanoag, a local tribe, which endured for more than 50 years and remains one of the few examples of harmony between European colonists and Native Americans.

When Was the First Thanksgiving?

In November 1621, after the Pilgrims' first corn harvest proved successful, Governor William Bradford organized a celebratory feast and invited a group of the fledgling colony's Native American allies, including the Wampanoag chief Massasoit. Now remembered as America's "first Thanksgiving"-although the Pilgrims themselves may not have used the term at the time-the festival lasted for three days. While no record exists of the first Thanksgiving's exact menu, much of what we know about what happened at the first Thanksgiving comes from Pilgrim chronicler Edward Winslow, who wrote:

"Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together, after we had gathered the fruits of our labors; they four in one day killed as much fowl, as with a little help beside, served the Company almost a week, at which time amongst other Recreations, we exercised our Arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and amongst the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five Deer, which they brought to the Plantation and bestowed on our Governor, and upon the Captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful, as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want, that we often wish you partakers of our plenty."

Historians have suggested that many of the dishes were likely prepared using traditional Native American spices and cooking methods. Because the Pilgrims had no oven and the Mayflower's sugar supply had dwindled by the fall of 1621, the meal did not feature pies, cakes or other desserts, which have become a hallmark of contemporary celebrations

Origins of Thanksgiving National Holiday

Pilgrims held their second Thanksgiving celebration in 1623 to mark the end of a long drought that had threatened the year's harvest and prompted Governor Bradford to call for a religious fast. Days of fasting and thanksgiving on an annual or occasional basis became common practice in other New England settlements as well.

During the American Revolution, the Continental Congress designated one or more days of thanksgiving a year, and in 1789 George Washington issued the first Thanksgiving proclamation by the national government of the United States; in it, he called upon Americans to express their gratitude for the happy conclusion to the country's war of independence and the successful ratification of the U.S. Constitution. His successors John Adams and James Madison also designated days of thanks during their presidencies.

In 1817, New York became the first of several states to officially adopt an annual Thanksgiving holiday; each celebrated it on a different day, however, and the American South remained largely unfamiliar with the tradition.

In 1827, the noted magazine editor and prolific writer Sarah Josepha Hale -author, among countless other things, of the nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb"-launched a campaign to establish Thanksgiving as a national holiday. For 36 years, she published numerous editorials and sent scores of letters to governors, senators, presidents and other politicians, earning her the nickname the "Mother of Thanksgiving."

Abraham Lincoln finally heeded her request in 1863, at the height of the Civil War, in a proclamation entreating all Americans to ask God to "commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife" and to "heal the wounds of the nation."

He scheduled Thanksgiving for the final Thursday in November, and it was celebrated on that day every year until 1939 when Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the holiday up a week in an attempt to spur retail sales during the Great Depression. Roosevelt's plan, known derisively as Franksgiving, was met with passionate opposition, and in 1941 the president reluctantly signed a bill making Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday in November.

Thanksgiving Food

In many American households, the Thanksgiving celebration has lost much of its original religious significance; instead, it now centers on cooking and sharing a bountiful meal with family and friends. Turkey, a Thanksgiving staple so ubiquitous it has become all but synonymous with the holiday, may or may not have been on offer when the Pilgrims hosted the inaugural feast in 1621.

Today, however, nearly 90 percent of Americans eat the bird-whether roasted, baked or deep-fried-on Thanksgiving, according to the National Turkey Federation. Other traditional foods include stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. Volunteering is a common Thanksgiving Day activity, and communities often hold food drives and host free dinners for the less fortunate.

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Parades have also become an integral part of the holiday in cities and towns across the United States. Presented by Macy's department store since 1924, New York City's Thanksgiving Day parade is the largest and most famous, attracting some 2 to 3 million spectators along its 2.5-mile route and drawing an enormous television audience. It typically features marching bands, performers, elaborate floats conveying various celebrities and giant balloons shaped like cartoon characters.

Beginning in the mid-20th century and perhaps even earlier, the president of the United States has "pardoned" one or two Thanksgiving turkeys each year, sparing the birds from slaughter and sending them to a farm for retirement. A number of U.S. governors also perform the annual turkey pardoning ritual.

Thanksgiving Controversies

For some scholars, the jury is still out on whether the feast at Plymouth really constituted the first Thanksgiving in the United States. Indeed, historians have recorded other ceremonies of thanks among European settlers in North America that predate the Pilgrims' celebration.

In 1565, for instance, the Spanish explorer Pedro Menéndez de Avilé invited members of the local Timucua tribe to a dinner in St. Augustine, Florida, after holding a mass to thank God for his crew's safe arrival. On December 4, 1619, when 38 British settlers reached a site known as Berkeley Hundred on the banks of Virginia's James River, they read a proclamation designating the date as "a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God."

Some Native Americans and many others take issue with how the Thanksgiving story is presented to the American public, and especially to schoolchildren. In their view, the traditional narrative paints a deceptively sunny portrait of relations between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people, masking the long and bloody history of conflict between Native Americans and European settlers that resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands. Since 1970, protesters have gathered on the day designated as Thanksgiving at the top of Cole's Hill, which overlooks Plymouth Rock, to commemorate a " National Day of Mourning." Similar events are held in other parts of the country.

Thanksgiving's Ancient Origins

Although the American concept of Thanksgiving developed in the colonies of New England, its roots can be traced both to Native Americans, as well as back to the other side of the Atlantic.

Both the Separatists who came over on the Mayflower and the Puritans who arrived soon after brought with them a tradition of providential holidays-days of fasting during difficult or pivotal moments and days of feasting and celebration to thank God in times of plenty.

As an annual celebration of the harvest and its bounty, moreover, Thanksgiving falls under a category of festivals that spans cultures, continents and millennia. In ancient times, the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans feasted and paid tribute to their gods after the fall harvest. Thanksgiving also bears a resemblance to the ancient Jewish harvest festival of Sukkot.

Finally, historians have noted that Native Americans had a rich tradition of commemorating the fall harvest with feasting and merrymaking long before Europeans set foot on America's shores.

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Thanksgiving 2023 - Tradition, Origins & Meaning | HISTORY

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Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday in the United States, and Thanksgiving 2022 occurs on Thursday, November 24. In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies.

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Let's Explore!!!!

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Scholastic Teaching Tools | Resources for Teachers

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Explore Scholastic Teaching Tools for teaching resources, printables, book lists, and more. Enhance your classroom experience with expert advice!

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Find out how many turkeys are raised for Thanksgiving, how many pounds of potatoes Americans consume around the holiday, and how many pies will be produced.

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Gobble Gobble!

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How the turkey got its name and amazing turkey trivia for the dinner table

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Thanksgiving Timeline, 1541 - Thanksgiving- Classroom Presentation | Teacher Resources - Library of Congress

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Thanksgiving

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Gratitude Scavenger Hunt from Let's Get Together

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IXL | Thanksgiving | 3rd grade social studies

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Improve your social studies knowledge with free questions in "Thanksgiving" and thousands of other social studies skills.