NickN
10
Plimoth.org did a very nice article exploring the development of our modern holiday.
Washington gets credit for Thursday being the weekday as in November 26 1789.
Here is a more complete timeline made for simple reading including children.
Highlights here suggest where most everyone was taught back in the day as the original one, was based up in New England with the Pilgrims and Wampanoag in 1621, a 3-day event by the way.
The article went on to say these Native traditions - complete with merrymaking and feasting were not unique to American as in England and throughout Europe they often occurred after a successful crop at harvest time.
This piece also points out evidence this tradition was not widely celebrated between 1622 and 1820 here in America.
In fact, it was not until 1863 when Sarah Josepha Hale petitioned Abraham Lincoln that a national thanksgiving might serve to unite a war-torn country where two national days being ultimately declared that year this tradition got a restart. The 1st on August 6th celebrating the Battle of Gettysburg and another declared annually for the last Thursday in November.
Even then Thanksgiving did not become permanent as the 4th Thursday in November until 1941. Congress set it a full two years after FDR lengthened the Christmas shopping season for the next-to-the-last-Thursday in November 1939.
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