History of Thanksgiving

Many trace the origin of Thanksgiving to 1621 with a celebration of Pilgrims and NativeAmericans to give thanks for a bountiful harvest. The first official Thanksgiving was in 1777 when all 13 colonies celebrated a Thanksgiving Day together. It was a celebration of the victory over the British at Saratoga. A one-time affair not repeated. George Washington proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day in 1789 but there was a great deal of dissension with many saying the hardships of a few Pilgrims did not justify a national holiday. Later, President Thomas Jefferson scoffed at the idea of a national Thanksgiving Day. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln declared that the “last Thursday” in November would be the national Thanksgiving Day. Every President after Lincoln declared a national Thanksgiving Day, though the date varied. Franklin Roosevelt declared that the national Thanksgiving Day would be the “next to the last Thursday” in November, reportedly to allow another week for shopping. Public uproar caused him to change it back to the original date two years later. In 1941, congress declared that Thanksgiving Day would be an official national holiday and would occur on the “fourth Thursday” of November. ………… and you all will remember that wise old Benjamin Franklin campaigned to have the Wild Turkey declared our national bird rather than the eagle.

History of Thanksgiving

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