For Thanksgiving in 1869, Harper’s Weekly published a drawing entitled Uncle Sam’s Thanksgiving Dinner by Thomas Nast.  Nast intended his drawing to support the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which prohibited the denial of voting rights due to race.

In the drawing, Uncle Sam is carving a turkey and sitting around the table are Americans from around the world:  Germany, France, Britain, Africa, China, Italy, Spain, and Ireland. Also seated at the table is an American Indian.

On the wall above the table are portraits of Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Ulysses Grant. Next to Grant’s portrait is a painting of Castle Garden. Before Ellis Island was established, Castle Garden was the main entry point for immigrants entering the United States. The painting is labeled “Welcome.”

At the bottom of the drawing on the left side Nast wrote, “Come One Come All,” and on the right side, “Free and Equal.”