The point is sometimes lost amid all the gravy, stuffing, parades, and football games, but the holiday of Thanksgiving is actually about giving thanks. The tradition dates back to 1621, when the Pilgrims of the Massachusetts Bay Colony gathered with the local Indians to rejoice. The non-Indians who were there had come over on the Mayflower; many had signed the Mayflower Compact, in which “for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country” they combined into “a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid; And by Virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the General good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due Submission and Obedience.”

As for the Thanksgiving feast itself, as Pilgrim Edward Winslow recalled it, “for three dayes we entertained and feasted.” He wrote, “Although it be not always so plentifull, as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so farre from want.”

A lot has changed since 1621. The Mayflower Compact has been replaced by the Constitution of America and the constitutions of the 50 states. Americans are no longer subjects of the king of England. The advancement of any particular religion is no longer a goal of our nation, though creating a society in which religion can be free, without being required of anyone, is a national purpose. Medical advances have increased life expectancy for humans. And progress in science and technology has improved nearly all aspects of our daily lives, right down to the genetically modified food that was gobbled by your Thanksgiving turkey before it was killed, frozen, and wrapped in plastic.

Yet some of the Pilgrims’ themes remain as relevant today as they were nearly 400 years ago. Compared to most of the rest of the world, America is still a land of plenty, and most of us are fortunate enough to be far from want. We still combine as a body politic to enact laws for the general good.

This particular Thanksgiving, we Americans and New Yorkers have much to be thankful for. The economy is growing at an astonishing pace. Though the war on Islamic terrorists wears on, we are safer from the threat of a terrorist attack today than we were before September 11, 2001, because of the bravery and battlefield victories of our soldiers and those of our allies. As hundreds of thousands of American troops celebrate Thanksgiving today on ships and in desert camps around the globe — but especially in Iraq — they can know that one of the things we back home are most thankful for today is their sacrifices.