Explore the events, people, and milestones that shaped Thanksgiving Day in United States.
Thanksgiving Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the fourth Thursday of November. It grew from harvest and religious thanksgiving traditions and is now centered on shared meals, family and community gatherings, gratitude, and charitable service.
A seasonal harvest table reflects familiar Thanksgiving foods and colors.
Communities have long held harvest celebrations and religious days of thanksgiving. English colonists and the Wampanoag shared a harvest gathering at Plymouth in 1621, an event later connected with the national holiday story.
Presidents and other leaders issued thanksgiving proclamations at different times. In 1863, during the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving on the last Thursday of November.
After a dispute over the date during the Great Depression, Congress established the fourth Thursday of November as the federal Thanksgiving holiday in 1941.
A harvest gathering involving Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag people later becomes part of the Thanksgiving narrative.
George Washington issues a national thanksgiving proclamation.
Abraham Lincoln proclaims Thanksgiving on the last Thursday of November.
Congress fixes the federal holiday on the fourth Thursday of November.
The day combines meals, travel, service, entertainment, and reflection.
Clear answers about the date, meaning, and observance.
Thanksgiving Day in 2026 is Thursday, November 26, 2026.
The 1621 Plymouth harvest gathering became part of the national story, but thanksgiving and harvest traditions have a broader and more complex history.
Congress set Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November in 1941.
Many gather for meals, travel to see family or friends, volunteer, watch parades or sports, and reflect on gratitude and history.