…Thanksgiving Day exists, we owe it all to President Abraham Lincoln…
…and his Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1863:
Read that part again:
“…to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as
a Day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father
who dwelleth in the heavens….”
*********
Surprise, surprise!
It’s not at all about football games, parades…or stuffing oneself with food!
I always thought it came from the pilgrims, We always see the Thanksgiving episodes of television shows, but I didn’t know that it was Lincoln that brought it about. Nice little history lesson.
Actually, the first US president, George Washington, proclaimed a day of Thanks on 03OCT1789, but it was only a one-time thing…when Mr. Lincoln proclaimed, on the same date 72 years later, I believe he was not only honoring the memory of President Washington, but also instilling courage in the US, as it was during the time of our Civil War, when many felt there was nothing to be thankful for.
BTW, Leanne, I love history…and your blog forces me to also study much about Australia!
It was unfortunately moved from the last Thursday of November to the second to last in 1939 to “boost” the economy by giving people more time to shop for Christmas. Also the woman who pushed for Thanksgiving to be national wrote Mary had a little lamb. I forgot her name.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Yes, thank you, Gaye! That part was not included in the info I searched for this…too bad the greed of retailers got in the way! This is from Wiki: The nursery rhyme was first published by the Boston publishing firm Marsh, Capen & Lyon, as an original poem by Sarah Josepha Hale on May 24, 1830, and was inspired by an actual incident.
A very Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours…and thanks so for the visit!
Gobble gobble
;>) !!!