Top of page

Thanksgiving: Traditions, Proclamations & Primary Sources in an Updated Primary Source Set

Share this post:

Thanksgiving: An Inspiration Peculiar to the Nation
Thanksgiving: An Inspiration Peculiar to the Nation

Today’s Thanksgiving holiday has roots in a number of celebrations that occurred centuries ago in different regions of North America. Over time, the United States has come to observe a holiday that has taken many forms and has been observed in many different ways. Students can broaden their perspectives on Thanksgiving – a holiday that is “peculiar to the nation” – with our recently-updated Thanksgiving Primary Source Set.

In addition to exploring a variety of holiday traditions, students can also explore Thanksgiving proclamations and read Sarah Hale’s letter to President Lincoln lobbying for the day to become an official national holiday.

As with all of the Library’s Primary Source Sets, a Teacher’s Guide is available with background information, teaching ideas and additional resources.

Thanksgiving Maskers
Thanksgiving Maskers

Thanksgiving 1903
Thanksgiving 1903

With people of many different cultures and heritages across the nation, the perspective on Thanksgiving is unique for each person. We’d love to hear your thoughts about using primary sources from the Library to help students expand their understanding of this national holiday and the richly varied ways it has been promoted and celebrated throughout history and today.

Comments (2)

  1. Thank you for these resources.

  2. Thank you for these informations

Add a Comment

This blog is governed by the general rules of respectful civil discourse. You are fully responsible for everything that you post. The content of all comments is released into the public domain unless clearly stated otherwise. The Library of Congress does not control the content posted. Nevertheless, the Library of Congress may monitor any user-generated content as it chooses and reserves the right to remove content for any reason whatever, without consent. Gratuitous links to sites are viewed as spam and may result in removed comments. We further reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to remove a user's privilege to post content on the Library site. Read our Comment and Posting Policy.


Required fields are indicated with an * asterisk.