Thanksgiving is an American holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November, when families gather to share a large meal and express gratitude for the good things in their lives. The traditional feast often includes turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie.

The holiday traces back to 1621, when English settlers called Pilgrims and members of the Wampanoag tribe shared a harvest celebration in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The Pilgrims had survived a brutal first winter in America, and the Wampanoag had taught them crucial farming skills. Their feast lasted three days and celebrated the autumn harvest.

President Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863, during the Civil War, hoping to unite a divided country around gratitude and togetherness. Today, Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday season. Many families have their own traditions: watching football games, running in turkey trots, volunteering at food banks, or going around the table sharing what they're thankful for.

While the historical relationship between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag, and between settlers and Native Americans more broadly, was far more complicated than the simple story often told, the modern holiday remains a time when Americans pause their busy lives to appreciate what they have and enjoy being together.