History of Thanksgiving Part 2

At the turn of the century, retailers were using Thanksgiving to get a jump start on Christmas sales. Newspapers would count down number of shopping days until Christmas and, in 1921, Gimbel's held the first Thanksgiving Day parade to kick off the shopping season. In 1939 however, trouble arose. Thanksgiving was the last Thursday of the month and though that was usually the fourth Thursday, in 1939 it was the fifth. That meant only 20 shopping days until Christmas! So, still trying to dig themselves out the Depression, the National Retail Dry Goods Association asked PresidentFranklin Roosevelt to move Thanksgiving back one Thursday, saying it would boost sales. He agreed and announced the change. Political debates abound and since his change was only binding with federal employees and in DC, govenors of individual states had to ratify the decision for it to apply [to their own states]. In the end, 23 states celebrated Thanksgiving on November 23 and another 23 celebrated on November 30. Texas and Colorado celebrated both days and Minneapolis celebrated from November 23-November 30. However, retail sales did not go up as predicted. In fact, some retailers believed all the confusion caused the sales to drop. Fearing future presidents might do something similar, several congressmen introduced legislation to make the change (making the fourth Thursday in November Thanksgiving) permanent. So, Roosevelt signed the compromise and Thanksgiving has been celebrated on the fourth Thusday in November ever since!

I hope you've enjoyed this look at the history of Thanksgiving. In upcoming weeks we'll be looking at ways to enjoy a relatively stress free Thanksgiving, traditions, and recipes!

Thanks again to Uncle John!

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!

Happy November!

I thought I would start out the month with talking a little bit about the upcoming holiday. Today, I'll be dispelling some myths that you may or may not know about Thanksgiving!

Myth #1:The settlers at the first Thanksgiving were called Pilgrims.

Truth:Early Americans called all early colonists "pilgrim" and it wasn't until the 20th century that it was used exclusively to name the folks at Plymouth Rock.

Myth #2:It took place in November.

Truth: It was between September and mid October, after the harvest. It was a three day festival too!

Myth #3: They had a feast every year.

Truth: There is no evidence supporting this. The harvest was bad and they had new Pilgrims to deal with.

Myth #4: They ate turkey.

Truth: They ate deer, fish, clams, oysters, berries, plums, water, and beer.

Why is it celebrated in November? Why on the fourth Thursday? Why do we eat turkey? Join me tomorrow as I delve into the first part of the fascinating history of Thanksgiving!

all myths and truths presented today were taken from Uncle John's Ultimate Bathroom Reader