Happy Thanksgiving to all our Immigration Business Plan Clients

This Thanksgiving, JDC Consultancy is grateful for our clients and the immigration attorneys who recommend our services, and would like to thank you for choosing us to write your immigration business plan. We hope you take this holiday, which is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of each November, to spend quality time with your family and friends and reflect on everything you have to be thankful for.

thanksgiving-parade-blog-post

History of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving has deep roots in American culture, and has been celebrated throughout the Colonies and States for over two centuries. Traditionally, it is believed that one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations occurred in 1621. When 102 religious separatists, known as “Pilgrims”, arrived on their small ship, the Mayflower, they were met with harsh conditions in Cape Cod and Massachusetts Bay, where they began to establish a village at Plymouth. They spent most of their first winter on board the Mayflower, avoiding the brutal weather, and about half of the Pilgrims died from scurvy, exposure, and outbreaks of disease.

Help arrived with the appearance of an Abenaki Indian who, to their surprise, greeted them in English. He introduced the Pilgrims to Squanto, a Pawtuxet Indian who had previously been enslaved in England and managed to return home. Squanto taught the remaining Pilgrims how to cultivate crops, catch fish, avoid poisonous plants, and other survival skills, and also helped them create an alliance with the Wampanoag, which lasted for over 50 years. When the first corn harvest was a success in November 1621, Plymouth Governor William Bradford invited the Pilgrims’ native allies to a feast, as a gesture of gratitude for the help they provided.

Thanksgiving was celebrated informally until the American Revolution, when the Continental Congress called for at least one such celebration each year. President George Washington made the first Thanksgiving proclamation in 1789, which called for Americans to express their gratitude for winning their war for independence, as well as the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Finally, after a 36 year campaign by magazine editor and songwriter, Sarah Josepha Hale, President Abraham Lincoln Declared Thanksgiving to be a national holiday in 1863. In 1941, President Roosevelt set Thanksgiving at its current date, the fourth Thursday in November, after attempting to move it forward a week to drive holiday sales during the Great Depression.

Thanksgiving-TurkeyModern Thanksgiving traditions bear a strong resemblance to the first feast in 1621. Typically, families gather for a plentiful meal, which usually includes dishes like turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, vegetables, pies, and more. Each year, the President “pardons” a turkey, and allows it to live out its days on a farm instead of being slaughtered. Parades and football games are also an integral part of modern Thanksgiving, with the parade held by Macy’s department stores in New York City being the most popular and one of the most extravagant. Volunteering is also a popular Thanksgiving activity, and many charities host meals for the less fortunate. The overarching theme, being thankful for everything we have, still dominates Thanksgiving gatherings, and makes up the spirit of the holiday.

JDC is thankful for the opportunity to help you realize your dreams of living and working in the United States, a nation that is, at its core, dedicated to acceptance and opportunity. We hope you take this Thanksgiving to enjoy a bountiful meal and quality time with your family and friends, maybe watch a game of football or two, and take a moment to ruminate on everything you have to be grateful for.