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The first proclamation was issued by George Washington during his first year as President. It sets aside Thursday, November 26 as "A Day of Publick(sic) Thanksgiving and Prayer." Signed by Washington on October 3, 1789 and entitled "General Thanksgiving,"

On October 3, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation calling for the observance of the fourth Tuesday of November as a national holiday.

In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the holiday to the third Thursday of November (to extend the Christmas shopping season and boost the economy). After a storm of protest, Roosevelt changed the holiday again in 1941 to the fourth Thursday in November, where it stands today.

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12y ago
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12y ago

President George Washington was the first president to proclaim a national day of Thanksgiving, in 1789 and 1795, but each proclamation applied only to that single year. President John Adams did the same thing in 1798 and 1799 and President Madison in 1814 and 1815. After that, individual states, if they wished to, declared their own days of Thanksgiving, until 1863.

Author Sarah Josepha Hale had written letters to politicians and editorials for around 40 years trying to make Thanksgiving an official holiday. President Lincoln, influenced by this and by a desire to foster a sense of unity among all the states during the Civil War, proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day, to be celebrated on the final Thursday in November 1863.

Lincoln's successors as president followed his example of annually declaring the final Thursday in November to be Thanksgiving. A small change was made In 1939, when November had five Thursdays. President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared the fourth Thursday, rather than the last one, in November as Thanksgiving. hoping that the longer post-Thanksgiving, pre-Christmas gift-buying period would help the economy, still suffering from the Great Depression.

None of the presidential declarations of Thanksgiving Day were legally binding; a President is not allowed to make law, just execute those passed by Congress.

Therefore, Thanksgiving did not become an official legal holiday until 1941, when Congress passed a resolution requiring that Thanksgiving be observed nationally on the fourth Thursday of November, and President Roosevelt signed it.

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10y ago

1604, how can that be when the pilgrims had the first thanksgiving in 1621

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13y ago

Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863

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13y ago

In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.

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13y ago

President Abraham Lincoln made it a national holiday in the USA in 1863.

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11y ago

George Washington made a proclamation recognizing a day of Thanksgiving. However, Abraham Lincoln made a proclamation in 1863 designating a specific day for the holiday.

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14y ago

1754

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14y ago

Sarah Hale

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Q: When was Thanksgiving made a national holiday?
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Related questions

When was Thanksgiving a national holiday in England?

Thanksgiving Day is not a national holiday in England.


What year was the Thanksgiving made?

The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621. The first Thanksgiving as a national holiday was 1863.


Was Truman the first president to make thanksgiving a national holiday?

No. It was President Abraham Lincoln who made it a national holiday in 1863.


What president created Thanksgiving?

The president that declared Thanksgiving is George Bush cause his family was Indian and he was Pilgrim so the family together made a holiday named thanksgiving...... Hope that answers your question


Which country first adopted Thanksgiving as a national holiday?

canda is the first country to adopt Thanksgiving as a national holiday.


Who issue the first proclamation making thanksgiving an annual nation holiday?

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President, issued the first official proclamation that made Thanksgiving an annual national holiday.


Who created the Thanksgiving holiday?

William Bradford, William Bradford mentioned the first Thanksgiving with the Native Americans


Why is Sarah Josepha Hale The Mother of Thanksgiving?

Sara Josepha Hale is the Mother of Thanksgiving because she famously campaigned for the holiday.


When did thanksgiving become a consistent national holidayin November?

Since President Abraham Lincoln made it a national holiday in 1863.


Who delcared Thanksgiving a national holiday?

Lincoln.


When was Thanksgiving invented?

Thanksgiving was made a national holiday by President Lincoln, but it wasn't celebrated until much later in the 1900's. The date of the holiday has also changed off and on.


When did thanksgiving become a national holiday and who established it?

1863 Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a holiday.