Colonel Paul’s Corner – History of Thanksgiving

Many trace the origin of Thanksgiving to 1621, with a celebration of Pilgrims and Native Americans to give thanks for a bountiful harvest. The celebration lasted three days. 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. Jefferson stated that such a government declared day was unconstitutional as it violated the separation of church and state. Jefferson was himself a Deist. 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. Once we had a year with two Thanksgivings. In 1939, 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. Many of the states continued to celebrate Thanksgiving on the last Thursday of the month, resulting in a year with two Thanksgivings. Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving back to the last Thursday the following year. FDR’s critics referred to his extra Thanksgiving Day as “Franksgiving Day”. The presidential pardon for the Thanksgiving turkey is a modern tradition originating with President George H.W. Bush. The song “Jingle Bells” was written by James Pierpont in 1857. The original title was “One Horse Open Sleigh”. It was written as a children’s song for Thanksgiving, not Christmas. 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. He also said, “beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy”. A few years ago, a friend of mine from Venezuela, not well versed in our history, told me he thought Benjamin Franklin was our greatest President. I agreed with him. By Paul Warrick: November 14, 2025 - Great Falls, Mt