Celebrating Thanksgiving in America Annotated Bibliography

Celebrating Thanksgiving in America - Annotated Bibliography Example This web article was authored by David Barton. The source provides a detailed historical background to the Thanksgiving Day as celebrated in America today. The source relies on several primary sources to bring to life the events that led to the institution of the last Thursday of November as a public holiday and national day of celebration. According to the author, the celebration of Thanksgiving in America is a tradition that was introduced by European Americans more than four centuries ago. Barton notes that Thanksgiving Day traces its history to the arrival of the pilgrims from England to the New England. He notes that Thanksgiving Day is not only a day to celebrate by feasting but is dedicated to giving thanks to God for His blessings. According to the source, the first congressional resolution for the institution of Thanksgiving Day as a federal holiday was declared by President George Washington in 1789. The president declared November 26, 1789, as a holiday. In this book, Colman seeks to explore the origin the celebrations that are held in the U.S. every last fourth Thursday of November. Colman ideally seeks to answer the question as to whether the Thanksgiving Day really traces its origins to the arrival of the Pilgrims in Plymouth, Massachusetts as commonly stated. The author gives different accounts of past happenings that together point at different origins of the Thanksgiving Day. Pertinent to her discourse is the symbolic eating of turkeys on Thanksgiving Day. According to the author, many Americans love to celebrate together on Thanksgiving Day and often have turkey - a symbol of abundance - as part of their diet.