When the first settlers arrived in Jamestown in April 1607 and raised a cross at Cape Henry, claiming the land for England, they may have had a thanksgiving predating their first known observance in 1619. In that year, Berkeley Hundred was settled, one of a number of plantations granted by the Virginia Co. of London to its stockholders.

As many prepare to gather around the table for annual Thanksgiving feasts and celebrations, some might wonder when the tradition started and when it became a national holiday.

While the 1621 feast wasn’t called “Thanksgiving” at the time, it set the stage for a holiday that would become a cornerstone of American culture. The modern version of Thanksgiving was proclaimed a national holiday by Abraham Lincoln in 1863, during the Civil War, as a time to unite and reflect.

Traditional "first Thanksgiving" stories taught in schools tend to erase the true history, and the Native American perspective.

Thanksgiving in the United States is based on a mythical feast between the Wampanoag people and Mayflower Pilgrims. The holiday's real story is mixed with national unity and racial exclusion. The big picture: The nation's annual Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday brings millions of families together,

Thanksgiving has been synonymous with things like turkey, food, Native Americans, pilgrims and much more for generations, but the day of thanks has been an ever-evolving holiday since it was first reportedly held before the United States existed as a country.

Here's a bit of history about Thanksgiving and traditions surrounding the holiday. Who attended the first Thanksgiving? In the lead-up to the 2020 ele