A&E Television
History.com: Thanksgiving
A detailed overview of the first Thanksgiving and the menu that the Pilgrims served which was quite different than the modern Thanksgiving meal. Features videos, a photo gallery, and links to many related articles and topics.
Mayflower History
Mayflower history.com: Brief History of Thanksgiving
Describes what is known about the history of Thanksgiving and of the first Thanksgiving held by the Pilgrims in 1621.
Incredible Art Department
The Incredible Art Department: Thanksgiving Day
Discusses the history of Thanksgiving, food traditions, Thanksgiving art and artists, lesson suggestions from teachers, and presents links to Thanksgiving resources.
A&E Television
History.com: Thanksgiving History Facts and Trivia
What did they eat at the first Thanksgiving? Which president made Thanksgiving a federal holiday? Get Thanksgiving trivia to share around the table. Over the centuries, that briefly-mentioned feast week has taken on a life of its own,...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: A History of Thanksgiving
This self-paced lesson provides historical context for Thanksgiving and presents students with writing-based activities.
Stanford University
Beyond the Bubble: The First Thanksgiving
[Free Registration/Login Required] This history assessment measures students' ability to source a document, in this case a painting of the first Thanksgiving celebration. When historians interpret a document, they look at who wrote it...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Become a Thanksgiving Historian
Students may be surprised to find out that some ideas they have about the history of Thanksgiving are actually myths. In this lesson students become a true "Thanksgiving historian" by completing a Venn diagram about the Wampanoag people...
CommonLit
Common Lit: Text Sets: Native American History
This is a collection of 27 Grade-Leveled texts (4-12) on the topic Native American History. Before European settlers came to North America, millions of native people lived in many unique societies. Explore the history of Native Americans...
National Women’s History Museum
National Women's History Museum: Sarah Josepha Hale
Sarah Josepha Hale is best known for creating the nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb." Her influence can also be seen in historic sites and in the creation of Thanksgiving as a national holiday.
Library of Congress
Loc: Primary Source Set: Thanksgiving
Teaching guide that uses primary sources to cover the history, traditions, and events of the American holiday of Thanksgiving. Provides additional online resources.
US National Archives
Nara: Congress Establishes Thanksgiving
From the National Archives, an essay on the establishment of the American holiday of Thanksgiving as a legal holiday starting with the original proclamation in 1789 celebrating it on different days or months up to the 1941 resolution...
Other
20/20 Technologies: Thanksgiving History
This site gives links that give the history and detail the first Thanksgiving in America. Links to primary source material.
Other
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Everything you would want to know if you are planning a trip to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. There is a photo tour of the parade, a route map, parade history, and hotel and dining information.
Other
Fdr Library: The Year We Had Two Thanksgivings?
Learn about the history of how Thanksgiving got its official date.
Other
Pilgrim Hall Museum: History Paintings
This website from the Pilgrim Hall Museum contains a collection of various history paintings depicting the pilgrims. Each image is annotated with a brief summary of what event the painting is depicting and general information about the...
ClassFlow
Class Flow: The First Thanksgiving
[Free Registration/Login Required] In this lesson, students will learn about Pilgrims, the Mayflower Compact and basic facts about this early colony in the New Land. Students will also explore the history of Thanksgiving. A five question...
Other
Plimouth Plantation: Thanksgiving Interactive: You Are the Historian
This site, developed by Plimoth Plantation, offers visitors the chance to use the skills of historians to peel away the layers of myth and misconception surrounding "The First Thanksgiving" and discover what might really have happened...
A&E Television
History.com: The First Thanksgiving Celebration
[Free Registration/Login Required] Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday in the United States. In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Native Americans shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first...
National Geographic Kids
National Geographic Kids: First Thanksgiving
National Geographic recounts the first Thanksgiving and offers related activities, games, and web links.
A&E Television
History.com: How the First Thanksgiving College Football Game Kicked Off a Holiday Tradition
How the First Thanksgiving College Football Game Kicked Off a Holiday Tradition. In 1876, Yale beat Princeton before a sparse crowd, but by the mid-1880s, their annual contest was a major social event that attracted thousands of fans in...
A&E Television
History.com: How the Nfl Popularized Thanksgiving Day Football
Thanksgiving football dates to at least 1876, when Yale defeated Princeton, 2-0, on a cold, bleak afternoon in Hoboken, New Jersey. By the 1890s, many college and high school teams played on the holiday. But the tradition didn't become a...
A&E Television
History.com: Colonists at the First Thanksgiving Were Mostly Men Because Women Had Perished
According to this account (elements of which continue to be debated by historians, especially regarding the presence and role of Native Americans), the historic event didn't happen on the fourth Thursday in November, as it does today,...
Read Works
Read Works: The Story of the First Thanksgiving
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text telling the story of the first Thanksgiving. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
A&E Television
History.com: What's the Real History of Black Friday?
The retail bonanza known as Black Friday is now an integral part of many Thanksgiving celebrations, but this holiday tradition has darker roots than you might imagine. This article discusses several myths as to the term Black Friday....