THANKSGIVING'S ORIGINS AND HISTORICAL CONTEXT The official declaration of Thanksgiving as a national holiday occurred in by President Abraham Lincoln amidst the Civil War and the Battle of Gettysburg to offer thanks to God and pray for national healing The Puritans' first Thanksgiving in followed a period of severe hardships including a delayed voyage on the Mayflower a tough winter and a period known as the starving time where nearly half of the Puritans perished PERSEVERANCE AND FAITH OF THE PURITANS Despite their struggles the Puritans' Thanksgiving celebrated survival and harvest with Governor William Bradford using a passage from Hebrews
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