When someone says “Thanksgiving”, the first thing that probably comes into our mind is spending time with family, maybe going on a hike or attending a fun event, and most importantly, enjoying good food! Turkey, stuffing, green beans, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. By the way, did you know that the turkey didn’t actually become a centerpiece of the holiday until a determined woman by the name of Sarah Josepha Hale started writing letters to the President? But hold on! Let’s rewind and start at the beginning of the story.
The story of the first Thanksgiving is hopefully familiar to many of us. The Pilgrims, fleeing religious persecution in Europe, had made it to America and survived their first winter in Plymouth, Massachusetts with the help of the Wampanoag Indians. After a successful spring and summer of planting and growth, they harvested a successful crop in the fall of 1621. Grateful to God for protecting them and providing for their needs, they held a feast, the first Thanksgiving.
What most of us probably don’t know is that it wasn’t until 1941 that Thanksgiving was officially established as a national holiday in the United States. The story of Thanksgiving from the time of the pilgrims until it was officially established is fascinating. So let’s go back to 1700’s, where we see the first official, national Thanksgiving proclamation, and then trace the history of Thanksgiving up to the present day.
The First Thanksgiving Proclamation
In 1789, George Washington issued a national Thanksgiving proclamation, designating November 26 of that year as a day of prayer and thanksgiving. The Constitution had been ratified the year before and Washington and Congress wanted to bring the new nation together to give thanks for all of God’s blessings and provisions throughout the war and in the establishment of a new government.
In his proclamation, Washington called the new nation to unite in rendering to God, “…our sincere and humble thanks–for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation…” and for His, “…Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war…” (Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1789).
He concluded the proclamation by asking Americans to humbly offer supplications for God’s forgiveness for any national or other transgressions. He also called all of them to ask for God to enable them all, in public or private stations, to perform their duties well. This and following Thanksgiving proclamations by other founding fathers serving as governors paints the picture of a nation and people with a heart of humility and a desire to seek God. They knew that they had so much to be grateful for and that it was all due to God’s providence and grace.
It’s worth noting that several founding fathers, including John Adams, John Trumball, and Noah Webster, were directly descended from the pilgrims. How incredible it must have been for them to have seen God provide through the generations.
Becoming a National Holiday
The next major part of the Thanksgiving story came in large part because of a determined woman named Sarah Josepha Hale. She was the writer and editor of two ladies magazines and began to write articles pushing for an annual Thanksgiving holiday. For 36 years, she wrote a multitude of letters to legislators, governors, and even presidents in an effort to make Thanksgiving an annual holiday until finally, one president listened. On October 3, 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation designating the last Thursday in November as Thanksgiving. His proclamation came on the heels of the Union victory at Gettysburg and, similar to Washington’s proclamation, Lincoln wanted to promote unity and remind Americans of what they had to be grateful for in the midst of a war that was tearing apart the nation.
Third Thursday or Fourth?
It seemed like Thanksgiving was finally established. But President Franklin D. Roosevelt had other thoughts. During the Great Depression, he moved Thanksgiving to the third Thursday of November in order to give merchants more time to sell Christmas gifts. However, he didn’t take into account the resistance he met from all the people who had to reschedule football games and annual Thanksgiving Day parades. As a result, in 1941, Congress passed a Joint Resolution designating the fourth Thursday of November as Thanksgiving Day once and for all.
An Attitude of Gratitude
Today, Thanksgiving is a time for us to gather to eat good food and enjoy time together. For many people, it’s a time when they don’t have to work for several days or a week. The danger has increasingly become that we will not only forget the original story of the Pilgrims and the “First Thanksgiving,” but even more that we will forget the One we’re thanking for everything we have. In America, we have so much freedom to do and say what we want that we often forget how blessed we are.
Everything we have is a blessing and a gift to be prized and to thank God for, from our families, to our freedom to gather together, to the ability to enjoy good food, to the very fact that we live in a country founded on the principle that, “…that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” (The Declaration of Independence).
What We’re Grateful For At Patriot Academy
As you gather with friends and family this next week, remember to stop, notice the little details of life, and thank God for what you have. Here at Patriot Academy we have so much that we are grateful for:
- Everyone who sends in encouragement and prayers! We read and hear every single one and appreciate you taking the time to write or call us.
- The generosity of donors, big and small, which allows us to keep educating and training people on the Constitution, the principles and ideas that made our nation great, how to speak and lead with courage and character, and so much more.
- Our team of incredible staff who work with excellence, professionalism, and a heart for the mission and vision of Patriot Academy!
- Our largest ever group of young adults attending the Patriot Institute, completing a nine-month program in leadership training and so much more.
- Last, but certainly not least, we are thankful to God for His goodness to us and for His protection and guidance in all the times of blessing, times of grieving, and times of hardship this year.
Have a blessed Thanksgiving this year!
