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When I sit down at my family’s Thanksgiving table each November, surrounded by the familiar chaos of mismatched dishes and competing conversations, I sometimes wonder how this particular Thursday became such a cornerstone of American tradition. The story of how Thanksgiving became a national holiday is far more winding and politically charged than most of us learned in elementary school. Uncover how Thanksgiving became America’s national holiday through Sarah Josepha Hale’s campaign, Lincoln’s proclamation, and centuries of evolution
The Mythical Beginning vs. Reality
Most Americans can recite the basic tale: Pilgrims and Native Americans sharing a harvest feast in 1621. But the path from that Plymouth gathering to our modern national holiday spans centuries and involves everything from magazine editors to presidential proclamations during civil war.
I have always been fascinated by how the 1621 feast was not even called “Thanksgiving” by the participants. The Pilgrims actually held days of thanksgiving as religious observances, typically involving prayer and fasting rather than feasting. What we think of as the “First Thanksgiving” was more likely just a harvest celebration that happened to include both English colonists and members of the Wampanoag tribe.
The Real Hero: Sarah Josepha Hale
The transformation of Thanksgiving into a national holiday owes its success largely to one determined woman whose persistence would make modern lobbyists envious. Sarah Josepha Hale, editor of the popular women’s magazine Godey’s Lady’s Book, launched what can only be described as a decades-long campaign to establish Thanksgiving as a national holiday.
Starting in the 1840s, Hale wrote countless editorials, published recipes, and even penned the poem “Mary Had a Little Lamb” (though that is another story entirely). She understood something crucial about American culture: food brings people together, and a shared meal could help unite a rapidly expanding and increasingly divided nation.
What strikes me most about Hale’s approach was her strategic thinking. She did not just write pretty essays about gratitude. Instead, she systematically contacted governors, presidents, and other influential figures, making both emotional and practical arguments for why America needed a unified day of thanksgiving.
Presidential Politics and Timing
For years, various presidents issued Thanksgiving proclamations, but these were sporadic and inconsistent. George Washington proclaimed a day of thanksgiving in 1789, but Thomas Jefferson refused to continue the practice, viewing it as too religious for a secular government.
The turning point came during one of America’s darkest periods. In 1863, while the Civil War raged and the nation seemed on the verge of permanent fracture, President Abraham Lincoln finally heeded Hale’s persistent appeals. His proclamation established the last Thursday of November as a national day of thanksgiving.
Lincoln’s timing was no accident. The Union had just achieved significant victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg, and he desperately needed something to help heal national wounds. Thanksgiving offered a way to encourage gratitude and unity without explicitly taking political sides.
The Modern Holiday Takes Shape
Even after Lincoln’s proclamation, the holiday continued evolving. Presidents continued issuing annual proclamations, but the date remained somewhat flexible until 1941, when Congress finally passed legislation making Thanksgiving a permanent federal holiday on the fourth Thursday of November.
This Congressional action resolved a peculiar controversy from the 1930s when Franklin D. Roosevelt tried moving Thanksgiving a week earlier to extend the Christmas shopping season during the Great Depression. The backlash was swift and fierce, with some states refusing to recognize “Franksgiving,” as critics dubbed it.
What Thanksgiving Means Today
Walking through any grocery store in mid-November, watching families argue over turkey preparations, or seeing the elaborate parade floats on television, I cannot help but think Sarah Josepha Hale would be amazed at what her campaign ultimately created. Our modern Thanksgiving celebration combines elements she championed with traditions that evolved organically over generations.
The holiday she envisioned as a unifying force has indeed become deeply embedded in American culture, though perhaps not always in ways she anticipated. Family drama, football games, and Black Friday shopping were probably not part of her original vision.
Yet the core idea persists: setting aside time for gratitude and gathering with loved ones remains powerful, even in our increasingly fragmented society. Every November, millions of Americans participate in what amounts to a massive, coordinated act of reflection and appreciation.
References
Library of Congress. (1863, October 3). Abraham Lincoln’s Thanksgiving proclamation Manuscript/Mixed Material. Manuscript Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/mal4361500/
National Archives and Records Administration. (2019). Thanksgiving proclamations, 1789-1941 Federal Register documentation. College Park, MD: Author.
Smithsonian Institution. (2018). The invention of Thanksgiving: How a 19th-century magazine editor made turkey day a national holiday. National Museum of American History Collections. Smithsonian Press.