American Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday of November. Where did this American holiday come from? This slide deck shows the involvement of three American presidents: Washington, Lincoln, and FDR. It also includes information on the Pilgrims who lived in Plymouth Massachusetts.

1. Meaning of American Thanksgiving
November 27, 2014
MarkTab: Atlanta, GA

2. Thanksgiving
•Celebrated the fourth Thursday in November
•Where did it come from?
•Thanksgiving was important for three of America’s most popular presidents:
•George Washington
•Abraham Lincoln
•Franklin D. Roosevelt

3. George Washington
•Set one day only to be Thanksgiving to God
•Many Americans were and are Christians
•Thanksgiving was not an annual holiday yet

4. Sarah Josepha Hale
•She was an American Author and writer: she wrote “Mary had a Little Lamb”
•Asked Lincoln to make Thanksgiving a Holiday in 1863
•Her actions helped unite Americans during the tough Civil War

5. Abraham Lincoln
•Made Thanksgiving an American Holiday in 1863
•President Lincoln worked hard for peace, and thanked God

6. Franklin Roosevelt
•On November 26, 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt set the day to be the 4thThursday in November
•He thought changing the date would help the economy
•Today many people shop this weekend

7. Plymouth, Massachusetts
•Many Thanksgiving stories talk about the Pilgrims in 1621
•They came to America to live a moral Christian life, free from politics and tradition
•Christians also thank God on Thanksgiving

8. Plymouth Rock
•Today you can visit the spot chosen to honor where the Pilgrims landed

9. Friends Gather
•We are thankful for friends
•We are thankful for family
•We are thankful for good food
•We are thankful to be free to live a moral life