Giving Thanks for Thanksgiving: The Sesquicentennial Celebration of Our National Tradition

Here is a blog post I did for work. I’m publishing it again, because why not.

 

Americans celebrate Thanksgiving this year in a divided nation. The possibility of another government shutdown, debt default and recession still loom on the horizon.

Yet, this year marks the 150th anniversary of Thanksgiving being declared a national holiday. Prior to 1863, various Presidents issued Thanksgiving proclamations. But the practice was inconsistent. Washington issued a national proclamation in 1789 and 1795. Jefferson issued none during his presidency.  When there was no Presidential decree, some states celebrated Thanksgiving; others did not. And those states that did celebrate Thanksgiving did so on different dates from each another. Thanksgiving did not become a national annual holiday until 1863 when Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation setting the last Thursday in November as a “day of Thanksgiving and Praise.”