History of Thanksgiving Timeline

According to some historians, the first celebration of Thanksgiving in North America occurred during the 1578 voyage of Martin Frobisher from England in search of the Northwest Passage.

Antecedents for Thanksgiving in Canada are also sometimes traced to the French settlers who came to New France in the 17th century, who celebrated their successful harvests.

As settlers arrived in Nova Scotia from New England after 1700, late autumn Thanksgiving celebrations became commonplace in the Canadian province.

Image source: Thanksgiving (Canada)

The first official Canadian Thanksgiving occurred on April 15, 1872, when the nation was celebrating the Prince of Wales' recovery from a serious illness.

By the end of the 19th century, Thanksgiving Day in Canada was normally celebrated on November 6. In the late 19th century, the militia staged 'sham battles' for public entertainment on Thanksgiving Day.

To prevent Thanksgiving from clashing with Remembrance Day, in 1957 the Canadian Parliament proclaimed Thanksgiving to be observed on its present date on the second Monday of October.

Since 1971, when the American Uniform Monday Holiday Act took effect, the American observance of Columbus Day has coincided with the Canadian observance of Thanksgiving.

Image source: Columbus Day

Thanksgiving proclamations were made mostly by church leaders in New England up until 1682, and then by both state and church leaders until after the American Revolution.

The 1621 Plymouth celebration was retroactively termed 'the first Thanksgiving' in a footnote added to an 1841 book by Alexander Young, and the Pilgrim story was then later incorporated into celebrations of the holiday.

From the time of the Founding Fathers until Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863 through a presidential proclamation, the date of observance varied from state to state.

On October 31, 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the date of Thanksgiving, creating a period of 'double Thanksgiving' celebrated on different dates in different states.

Image source: Franklin D. Roosevelt

On December 26, 1941, Roosevelt signed a joint resolution of Congress changing the official national Thanksgiving Day to the fourth Thursday in November starting in 1942, formalizing federal legislation passed in 1941.

President John F. Kennedy issued Proclamation 3560 on November 5, 1963, stating that over three centuries ago, forefathers in Virginia and Massachusetts set aside a time of thanksgiving, honoring both claimant traditions.

Image source: John F. Kennedy

Thanksgiving is celebrated in Liberia in large part due to the nation's founding as a colony of the American Colonization Society in 1821 by former slaves and free people of color from the United States.

In 1883, the Legislature of Liberia enacted a statute declaring Thanksgiving Day as a national holiday, reflecting the country's historical ties to the United States.

As an American colony from 1901 to 1946, the Philippines observed Thanksgiving as a special public holiday on the same day as the United States. After the Japanese defeat in 1945, the tradition continued until 1969.

In Brazil, National Thanksgiving Day (Dia de Ação de Graças) was instituted by President Gaspar Dutra through Law 781 of August 17, 1949, at the suggestion of Ambassador Joaquim Nabuco, inspired by commemorations he saw in 1909.

In 1966, Law 5110 established that the Thanksgiving celebration in Brazil would take place on the fourth Thursday of November, aligning with the American date.

In 1973, President Ferdinand Marcos issued Proclamation 1180, changing the Philippine Thanksgiving date to September 21 as a celebration of his imposition of martial law. This continued until Marcos' ouster in 1986.

Image source: Ferdinand Marcos