President Barack Obama invoked the original meaning of Thanksgiving as he urged Americans Thursday to support his bid to accept thousands of Syrian refugees fleeing extreme violence in their home country.

"In 1620, a small band of pilgrims came to this continent, refugees who had fled persecution and violence in their native land," Obama said. "Four-hundred years later, we remember their part in the American story, and we honor the men and women who helped them in their time of need."

The president's plan calls for admitting 10,000 refugees in 2016, but last week, dozens of governors pledged to do anything they could to prevent refugees from entering their states.

In the wake of terror attacks in Paris earlier this month, the House overwhelmingly passed a measure making it more difficult for Syrian refugees to enter the country.