Thanksgiving is a time when millions of families across the United States come together to celebrate everything they’re grateful for. Some might argue that the real star of the holiday is the food, featuring fan-favorite sides such as stuffing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and, of course, the highly sought-after wild bird — the turkey.
According to historians, the first Thanksgiving did not include turkey on the table. The celebration dates back to 1621, when the Pilgrim settlers of Plymouth Colony — in what is now Massachusetts — sat down with the Indigenous Wampanoag people. There’s no direct evidence that turkey was consumed at that first Thanksgiving. Instead, the settlers and Wampanoag shared venison, fish, shellfish and vegetables. The Pilgrims did bring wild “fowl,” which could have been turkey, but historians believe it was more likely ducks or geese.
Turkey didn’t become the holiday staple we know today until the mid-19th century, largely due to writer and editor Sarah Josepha Hale, also known as the “mother of Thanksgiving.” Hale was the author of the children’s poem “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”
Turkey was an essential part of Hale’s guide to Thanksgiving celebrations, along with the additional sides that many families still anticipate each year.
In her novel Northwood, Hale wrote an entire chapter dedicated to Thanksgiving celebrations in New England and beyond. As an editor for Godey’s Lady’s Book, she used her platform to write editorials and articles encouraging state and federal officials to pass legislation creating a national holiday of gratitude on the last Thursday of November. She believed the celebration could help unify and ease tensions between the North and South. By 1854, her idea was taking hold, with more than 30 states and U.S. territories hosting Thanksgiving celebrations. But it didn’t become a national holiday until 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation designating the last Thursday of November as a day of thanks. Thanksgiving became an official federal holiday in 1941, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill establishing the fourth Thursday of November as a permanent observance.
The push to make turkey the centerpiece of Thanksgiving feasts was further boosted by the growth of the domesticated turkey industry. Additional traditions emerged in 1947 with the White House Presentation, when President Harry Truman received a live turkey from the National Turkey Federation. The presentation became an annual tradition symbolizing the start of the holiday season, showcasing the contributions of American turkey farmers and the important role they play in U.S. agriculture.
The White House turkey pardon later became a tradition in 1989, after President George H.W. Bush spared a turkey from ending up on anyone’s dinner table. Some historians, however, trace the idea back to the Civil War, when Abraham Lincoln’s son, Tad, asked his father to pardon a turkey named Jack — a request Lincoln granted. Presidents since then, including Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden, have continued the lighthearted tradition.