History of Thanksgiving~ Sherri Easley
In 1789, President Washington declared Thursday, November
26, as a "Day of Publick Thanksgivin," according to the National
Archives.
For the next 70 years, Thanksgiving was held on various
dates and months, as announced by the president in office.
In 1863, President Lincoln made a Thanksgiving proclamation setting
the last Thursday of November as standard.
Seventy years later, in 1933, November had five Thursdays. Because
of this, the Downtown Association of Los Angeles asked President Roosevelt to
push back Thanksgiving by a week to create a longer time for commercial sales. The
President denied the request and everyone had Thanksgiving on the last Thursday
as in previous years.
Roosevelt, however, was president for a long time, so long that
another five-Thursday November rolled around in 1939. Once again, business
leaders asked if the date for the holiday could change to a week earlier to
give people more time to shop for Christmas. This time Roosevelt agreed to do
it. This date change angered people as they felt the President was catering to
large retailers so they could make more money.
A few state governors decided they would continue to have
Thanksgiving on the last Thursday of the month, as usual. For two years, some people
ended up celebrating Thanksgiving a week earlier or later than others.
Finally, on December 26, 1941, Congress passed a law making
Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday of November.
Fortunately for my character, Emma, she loves Thanksgiving,
and they celebrated both days.
Source: NPR.org
Once a year is enough for me. I'm not a big fan of Thanksgiving, although I have a lot for which I'm thankful. I love it because that's the "official" start of the Christmas holidays. Ignore the fact that it starts much earlier. Thanksgiving evening is when I strive (and fail) to have my Christmas decorations complete and turn on the lights.
ReplyDeleteI love Thanksgiving. It's the time of year when my husband and I cook together and the house smells wonderfully delicious. It's also the time when family can gather together, and we don't have to worry about gift-giving. I'm also a big fan of sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie (my favorite) with lots of Kool Whip, both dishes which are served at our house during Thanksgiving. Like Caroline, Thanksgiving is also a signal that Christmas decorations can come flying out of their usual hibernation spots.
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