During the height of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln appealed to our nation’s unity to establish one of America’s great civic holidays: Thanksgiving. In his October 1863 proclamation, Lincoln declared that the last Thursday of November would forever be a day to express gratitude for all of God’s blessings “with one heart and one voice by the whole American people.”

With his order, Lincoln enshrined an annual tradition that had spread across the country since the autumn of 1621, when the Pilgrims of Plymouth, Massachusetts, joined together with the Wampanoag tribe to celebrate a successful harvest.

There’s a reason the holiday has endured for over 400 years. The “First Thanksgiving” reflected the same values that have guided our nation since its founding: faith, family, freedom, hope, and opportunity.

Just a year before that first celebration, 102 passengers set sail from Plymouth, England, on the Mayflower in search of religious freedom and a better life in the New World. After 66 grueling days at sea, they landed in what would become the Plymouth Colony—the first permanent colony in New England.

At the beginning, however, the Pilgrims’ success was far from certain. During that first brutal winter, most passengers remained aboard the Mayflower, and many succumbed to disease and malnutrition. By the spring of 1621, only half remained. As warmer weather arrived, the survivors began the difficult work of building their settlement and securing enough food.

To help them, Squanto, a member of the local Wampanoag tribe, showed the settlers how to catch fish, grow corn and squash, and avoid poisonous plants. He also forged a formal alliance between his tribe and the Pilgrims that was essential to the colony’s survival.

By autumn, the Pilgrims had produced a bountiful harvest. To celebrate, they joined together with their Wampanoag allies for a three-day festival, including a feast of wildfowl, venison, corn, and other crops—what we now remember as the First Thanksgiving. 

Four hundred and four years later, millions of Tennesseans and Americans across the country will gather together this week to honor this tradition. It is a time for family, fellowship, and delicious food—and a moment to reflect on our blessings as a nation and on the enduring strength of the American people.

Just this September, our state marked one year since Hurricane Helene brought devastating destruction to our communities. In the months since, Tennesseans have shown what the Volunteer Spirit truly means, working shoulder to shoulder to rebuild homes, businesses, and neighborhoods. While the road to full recovery continues, I am working to ensure that every community has the resources it needs to come back stronger than ever.

In recent years, Tennesseans and Americans nationwide have also shown incredible resilience in the face of rampant inflation, rising crime, an out-of-control border crisis, and an administration that put their interests last. With President Trump back in the White House, we are working to reverse the damage done by the Biden administration and secure a stronger, freer, and more prosperous America for our children and grandchildren.

We are blessed to live in the greatest country on the face of the earth. As we look to the future, may we remember the example set by those first Pilgrims and reflect on all of our blessings, as Lincoln urged, with one heart and one voice by the whole American people.