PRESENTATION BY: JOSEPH LIN ECONOMIC OFFICER U.S. CONSULATE GENERAL, SHANGHAI Traditions and Customs of The United States of America

Immigrant Influences Important influences came from other parts of Europe, such as Ireland, Germany, Poland and Italy; Africa, from which came the ancestors of most African Americans, originally brought over as slaves in the American South (freed in 1863 during U.S. Civil War); Latin America and Asia/Pacific now growing

Diversity in Customs

Thanksgiving Holiday

Thanksgiving Origins Most historians and Americans identify Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims at Plymouth colony.

Difficult Journey to America In the search for religious freedom, in 1620 a group of Pilgrims sailed from England to Massachusetts. The Pilgrims’ first winter was very hard and many of them died. Of the 102 people who left England, only 50 survived.

Help from the Native Americans The Native Americans showed the newcomers how to plant potatoes, tomatoes, and other foods that the Europeans had never seen before. They showed their new neighbors how to make medicine from plants and how to catch fresh fish.

Giving Thanks The Pilgrims were grateful to their new friends who helped them survive that first difficult winter. To show their gratitude to God, the Pilgrims hosted a three-day feast in honor of the Native Americans.

Thanksgiving: National Holiday In 1863, in the midst of the American Civil War President Abraham Lincoln declared that a day be set aside to give thanks and praise. The day chosen was the last Thursday of November. Lincoln’s proclamation began an American tradition that has now lasted for 144 years.

Current Customs : At Home

Current Customs : Government

New Customs: Black Friday

Happy Thanks givi