What is YOUR meaning for Thanksgiving?

Although a Secular Holiday, it was envisioned by the Pilgrims as religious. The Pilgrims came to America to form a community where they could worship God as they saw fit. King James was persecuting those who did not recognize the Church of England’s authority. The Pilgrims wrote the Mayflower Compact in which they established just and equal laws for believers and non believers. Upon arrival to the new world they encountered many difficulties and during the first winter half of them died. Although life improved after winter, they did not really prosper. They met the Indians which taught them how to grow corn, fish. Everything they were producing went into a common store and everything they built belonged to the community. The collectivist system did not work and fit laborers would not work without an incentive. The pilgrims discovered that individuals work harder within an incentive system that allows them to maintain and enjoy the fruits of their labor. Bradford, governor at the time assigned a plot of land to each family to work and manage creating free enterprise within the community. This became a success and more harvest was planted than otherwise would have been. At the end of their first year, the Pilgrims held a great feast honoring the Indians, God for their bountiful harvest and a new economic system. Independent to the real meaning of Thanksgiving, British settlers came later and killed many Indians in what they called the Pequot War, one of the bloodiest Indian wars ever fought but there is no need to get into that… No wonder people are confused about the real meaning of Thanksgiving…

Happy Thanksgiving ;-)

I think it is wonderful and I am glad, I am part Indian and very proud of my heritage, I wish everyone would just get along and not look at color or race, but what is in people's hearts that matter. I hope many people will think about that this holiday. Thanksgiving to me is Family, I would be no where without them, and love them sooo much.

First official document proclaiming

"THANKSGIVING"

The year was 1637.....700 men, women and children of the Pequot Tribe, gathered for their "Annual Green Corn Dance" in the area that is now known as Groton, Conn.

While they were gathered in this place of meeting, they were surrounded and attacked by mercenaries of the English and Dutch. The Indians were ordered from the building and as they came forth, they were shot down. The rest were burned alive in the building.

The next day, the Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony declared : "A day of Thanksgiving, thanking God that they had eliminated over 700 men, women and children. For the next 100 years, every "Thanksgiving Day" ordained by a Governor or President was to honor that victory, thanking God that the battle had been won.

~Documents of Holland , 13 Volume Colonial Documentary History, letters and reports form colonial officials to their superiors and the King in England and the private papers of Sir William Johnson.

the national holiday or even the meal in plymouth was not the first thanksgiving. we native people have been giving thanks here for thousands of years. in fact many traditional indians think its strange to have only one day set aside for giving thanks. we are taught to be thankful every day and in many ways. plus we have several "thanksgivings' each year in traditional ceremonies.

all i wish is that the truth were told.

The real meaning of Thanksgiving was lost as soon as it became a "national holiday". Then it became something to plan around.

Real thanksgiving is the pausing and giving thoughtful thanks for all the positives in our lives. And sharing our abundant gifts with those around us, no matter who they are or where they came from.

Thanksgiving should be the same as in those times, but a lot of people just take this date for a big partty, or as others said, to get with the family.

They are forgetting that thanksgiving means tolerance with others, friendship with people from other places, sharing the good things with those who help us no mather where they came from.

People forget that must of us came from inmigrants families.

My meaning of Thanksgiving is just being thankful for your loving family and friends. Maybe just appreciating the things we have today :)

it was a wonderful idea and I continue the tradition the best I can by being open minded and grateful on a daily basis.

giving thanks to your family, friends and everything you are thankful in life,

its sad that we actually set down and think about what we are thankful for only once a year. it should be every day that we do this

we take to many things for granted.

being thankful for all of the little things....(every day is thanksgiving)

to be thankful for family and friends & that we help each other out, in other words we're there for each other