History of Thanksgiving Part 1

Today we continue our fascinating look at the history of Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving started as a Northern holiday. All the Northern states celebrated it, but no Southern ones did. This isn't to say it hadn't been tried. Congress tried in 1777 and George Washington tried in 1789. Then, in 1863, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed two days of Thanksgiving. One, on August 6 for Union victories and one on November 26 to celebrate a year "filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies." He did not intend to celebrate another Thanksgiving, however when General Sherman captured Atlanta in 1864, he again proclaimed the last Thursday of November as a day of Thanksgiving. After Lincoln was assassinated, other presidents turned it into a tradition as a way to honor him. By the 1890's Thanksgiving was celebrated in almost every state in the Union.

On November 26, 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt signed a compromise bill: that Thanksgiving would always fall on the fourth Thursday in November, whether it was the last Thursday of the month or not. Why? Find out tomorrow as we go to part two!

Thanks again to Uncle John!