Sam Olens - Attorney General

There are debates about when and where the first Thanksgiving took place; but the traditionally accepted theory is that the first Thanksgiving was held in 1621 with Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians sharing an autumn harvest feast. Only half the colonist had survived the first winter in Plymouth. More than 200 years later, President Abraham Lincoln declared the final Thursday in November as a national day of “thanksgiving.” Congress finally made Thanksgiving Day an official national holiday in 1941.

While some may have more than others, we all have blessings to count everyday. This Thanksgiving, remember the bravery of the colonists and pause to “Give Thanks” for our personal blessings and those endowed on our state and our country.