America's First Thanksgiving

2,150 views · Published 22 November 2012 · 11:37 · Indexed 25 October 2026

Channel: A/V Geeks 16mm Films · 2012 · Education

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This film explores the origins of Thanksgiving in America, tracing it back to the early English colonists. It highlights their initial struggles, including the "starving time" at Jamestown, and their reliance on prayer and gratitude for survival. The narrative focuses on Captain John Woodliff's expedition in 1619, which established a settlement at Berkeley Plantation and was marked by instructions to hold a yearly day of Thanksgiving, considered America's first official annual Thanksgiving. Despite later tragedies like the 1622 Indian attack, the colony and the tradition of Thanksgiving persevered, evolving into the modern celebration we know today.

Keywords: Thanksgiving, Jamestown, Berkeley Plantation, Virginia, Colonial America, Gratitude, Pilgrims, Captain John Woodliff, English Colonists, William Henry Harrison.

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