Massachusetts – 5-Minute History

For millennia people have given thanks for a good harvest with special ceremonies.

The Thanksgiving tradition in North America—the fourth Thursday in November in the US and the second Monday of October in Canada—has its roots in old England.

The First Thanksgiving by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, 1915

Days of thanksgiving started to gain significance in England during the English Reformation. It was a time when there were 95 Church holidays, not including Sundays. This meant that people were required to stop work and attend church 147 days of the year.

Religious reforms reduced the number of Church holidays to 27 but added new “Days of Fasting” and “Days of Thanksgiving”. Disasters like floods, drought, and plagues were marked by fasting, and military successes or national good fortune celebrated with thanks. One such thanksgiving holiday in England turned into an annual affair. Guido Fawkes’ failed attempt to blow up Parliament in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 was a thanksgiving day that is now known as “Guy Fawkes Day” and celebrated each year on November 5.

It was these fasting and thanksgiving traditions that Pilgrims and Puritans brought with them from old England in the 1620s and 1630s as they settled America.

In 1621, a group of Pilgrims in Plymouth Massachusetts invited local Wampanoag Indians to share a meal with them to give thanks for the first good harvest.

Instead of turkey, it was venison on the menu—provided by the native Americans. Pumpkin pie and sweet potatoes weren’t available yet in New England.

It wasn’t until 1789 that President George Washington announced the first national Thanksgiving holiday.

But before Thanksgiving became an annual holiday nationwide, it took 30 years of campaigning from writer Sara Josepha Hale, (author of “Mary Had a Little Lamb”) and another presidential announcement—this time in 1863 from Abraham Lincoln.

Today, Thanksgiving is a time to be with family and to give thanks.

We have many things to be grateful for in the modern world—just a few are listed below as food for thought.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones!

The Old State House

Built in 1713, the Old State House was the seat of the Massachusetts General Court until 1798. It is a National Historic Landmark as one of the oldest public buildings in the United States. The Boston Massacre occurred in front of the building on March 5, 1770.

The State House from Park Street, Boston by James Kinsella (1857 - 1923) — The State House from Park Street, Boston by James Kinsella (1857 – 1923)

Boston Public Garden

The first public botanical garden in the United States—established in 1837 by philanthropist Horace Gray.

Beacon Hill

Beacon Hill is a historic neighborhood in Boston. With its Federal-style rowhouses and narrow, gaslit streets with brick sidewalks, it is regarded as one of the most desirable and expensive neighborhoods in Boston.

Beacon Street, Boston by Theodore Robinson - 1884 — Beacon Street, Boston by Theodore Robinson – 1884

Boston Common

The 50-acre Boston Common dates from 1634 and is the oldest city park in the United States. It was from here that British troops left for the Battle of Lexington and Concord in the American Revolutionary War.

Charles Street

Charles Street is the name of a north-south street in the city center of Boston. Among notable residents was Edgar Allan Poe—author, poet, and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement.

Revere Beach

Founded in 1895, Revere Beach was the first public beach in the United States. It was “the first to be set aside and governed by a public body for the enjoyment of the common people.” An estimated 45,000 people showed up on opening day.

Further Reading