乘"五月花"來到這個國度的旅行者（朝圣者）原本是英國分離者地下教會清教徒，他們的家在英國，因不堪忍受國內的宗教迫害，他們逃亡到荷蘭。在荷蘭，他們享受了更多的宗教信仰自由，但最終卻意識到在荷蘭的這種生活方式是對他們的主的褻瀆。為了尋求更好的生活，他們與倫敦貿易公司協商，由該公司資助他們到美國。在這趟旅途中，船上只有大約1/3的乘客是清教徒，其他大多數人并非分離派清教徒，而是公司雇傭來保護其利益的人員（契約奴）。

The Pilgrims set ground at Plymouth Rock on December 11, 1620. Their first winter was devastating. At the beginning of the following fall, they had lost 46 of the original 102 who sailed on the Mayflower. But the harvest of 1621 was a bountiful one. And the remaining colonists decided to celebrate with a feast -- including 91 Indians who had helped the Pilgrims survive their first year. It is believed that the Pilgrims would not have made it through the year without the help of the natives. The feast was more of a traditional English harvest festival than a true "thanksgiving" observance. It lasted three days.

1620年12月11日，旅行者們在"普利茅斯石"登陸。他們的第一個冬季是災難性的，第二年秋天來臨時，原來的102名乘客只剩下56人。但1621年他們獲得了大豐收，這些幸存的殖民者們決定和幫助他們度過困難的91名印第安人一起饗宴慶祝。他們相信，若沒有當地居民的幫助，他們是不可能度過這一年的。這次節日的盛宴不僅僅是一個"感恩"儀式，它更像英國傳統的豐收慶典。慶典持續了三天。

Governor William Bradford sent "four men fowling" after wild ducks and geese. It is not certain that wild turkey was part of their feast. However, it is certain that they had venison. The term "turkey" was used by the Pilgrims to mean any sort of wild fowl. 

總督布雷德福派了“四人捕鳥隊”去捕捉野鴨和野鵝。我們現在并不能確定是否有野生火雞在當時的筵席上，但筵席上肯定有鹿肉。當時，朝圣者用 "火雞"一詞來代表各種野禽。

Another modern staple at almost every Thanksgiving table is pumpkin pie. But it is unlikely that the first feast included that treat. The supply of flour had been long diminished, so there was no bread or pastries of any kind. However, they did eat boiled pumpkin, and they produced a type of fried bread from their corn crop. There was also no milk, cider, potatoes, or butter. There was no domestic cattle for dairy products, and the newly-discovered potato was still considered by many Europeans to be poisonous. But the feast did include fish, berries, watercress, lobster, dried fruit, clams, venison, and plums.

現在，幾乎每家感恩節餐桌上都有南瓜餡餅――感恩節的另一種主食。但在當年的第一次慶典上卻不可能有這種食品。因為面粉奇缺，所以面包、餡餅、糕點等食物都沒有。但他們卻吃了煮南瓜，并用收獲的玉米制成了一種油炸面包。也沒有牛奶、蘋果酒、土豆和黃油。沒有馴養的奶牛，自然沒有牛奶；而新發現的土豆被很多歐洲人認為是有毒的。第一次慶典上有魚、草莓、豆瓣菜、龍蝦、干果、蛤、鹿肉、李子等。

This "thanksgiving" feast was not repeated the following year. But in 1623, during a severe drought, the pilgrims gathered in a prayer service, praying for rain. When a long, steady rain followed the very next day, Governor Bradford proclaimed another day of Thanksgiving, again inviting their Indian friends. It wasn't until June of 1676 that another Day of Thanksgiving was proclaimed.

緊接著的第二年(1622)卻沒有舉行"感恩"慶典。到了1623年，發生了一場嚴重的旱災，朝圣者們聚集到一起，舉行了虔誠的祁雨儀式，剛好在第二天，一場充沛的大雨從天而降。威廉布雷德福總督宣布再次慶祝感恩節，并再次邀請了他們的印第安朋友。之后數年無感恩節，直到1676年6月，感恩節才再次被提出。

On June 20, 1676, the governing council of Charlestown, Massachusetts, held a meeting to determine how best to express thanks for the good fortune that had seen their community securely established. By unanimous vote they instructed Edward Rawson, the clerk, to proclaim June 29 as a day of thanksgiving. It is notable that this thanksgiving celebration probably did not include the Indians, as the celebration was meant partly to be in recognition of the colonists' recent victory over the "heathen natives,"

1676年6月20日，馬薩諸塞州的查爾斯頓政府委員會召開了一次會議，討論如何才能最好表達對主的謝意：主賜予他們好運，庇佑他們安全地建立了他們的邦聯。經過意見不統一的投票，由書記愛德華.勞森宣布6月29日為當年的感恩節。值得注意的是，因此次慶典在一定程度上是殖民者對戰勝"野蠻的土著人"的慶祝，故印第安人極有可能未參加此次慶典。 

October of 1777 marked the first time that all 13 colonies joined in a thanksgiving celebration. It also commemorated the patriotic victory over the British at Saratoga. But it was a one-time affair.

1777年10月，13個殖民地第一次聯合舉辦了感恩節慶典，這也是對薩拉托加一役中戰勝英國人所取得的愛國主義的勝利的紀念。但只舉行了這一年。

George Washington proclaimed a National Day of Thanksgiving in 1789, although some were opposed to it. There was discord among the colonies, many feeling the hardships of a few Pilgrims did not warrant a national holiday. And later, President Thomas Jefferson scoffed at the idea of having a day of thanksgiving.

1789年，盡管出現反對的呼聲，華盛頓總統還是宣布感恩節為全國性節日。在殖民地中也存在意見的分歧，不少人認為，僅僅一小撮朝圣者所經歷的那些艱難困苦并不值得用一個全國節日來紀念。之后，杰弗遜總統還對這件事嗤之以鼻。

It was Sarah Josepha Hale, a magazine editor, whose efforts eventually led to what we recognize as Thanksgiving. Hale wrote many editorials championing her cause in her Boston Ladies' Magazine, and later, in Godey's Lady's Book. Finally, after a 40-year campaign of writing editorials and letters to governors and presidents, Hale's obsession became a reality when, in 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November as a national day of Thanksgiving.

若沒有薩拉·J·黑爾――一位雜志編輯的努力，最終就不會有我們現在所謂的感恩節。在她主編的"波士頓婦女雜志"及稍后的"Godey's 女士手冊"中，她撰寫了大量的社論，支持將感恩節定為全國性節日。40年中，她堅持不懈地發表評論，不斷致信州長乃至總統，最后，理想終于變為現實：1863年，林肯總統發表聲明，將11月的最后一個星期四定為感恩節――一個全國性的節日。

 Thanksgiving was proclaimed by every president after Lincoln. The date was changed a couple of times, most recently by Franklin Roosevelt, who set it up one week to the next-to-last Thursday in order to create a longer Christmas shopping season. Public uproar against this decision caused the president to move Thanksgiving back to its original date two years later. And in 1941, Thanksgiving was finally sanctioned by Congress as a legal holiday, as the fourth Thursday in November.

從此歷屆總統都按此行事。但具體時間也發生過幾次變化。最近的一次是富蘭克林·羅斯福總統宣布的。為開創一個更長的圣誕購物季節，羅斯福總統宣布將感恩節日期改在11月的倒數第二個星期四，即提前了一個星期。但公眾反對呼聲太高，兩年后，總統不得不將感恩節日期改回到原來的時間。1941年，美國國會最終通過決議，將感恩節定為美國法定假日，的時間是每年11月的最后一個星期四。