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Big B -> RE: Happy Thanksgiving (11/23/2007 12:38:40 AM)
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Cigar [;)]
The first nationally observed (by act of Congress) Thanksgiving Day was proclaimed on Nov 1st 1777 - to be observed on Thursday Dec 18th 1777, and was the first observed as the Continental Army entered winter quarters at Valley Forge.
It was in thankfulness for the victory at Saratoga, and the nation surviving the year. Thanksgiving day was observed (by act of Congress) every year thereafter for the remainder of the war - 1777 through 1784.
It was again observed in 1789 by order of President Washington, and off and on thereafter, but was not made permanent until the FRD administration.
So Thanksgiving Day, as a nationally observed holiday, dates to the Revolutionary War, ...not the Pilgrims.[:)]
Perhaps a change in traditional holiday decoration is in order?
B
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ORIGINAL: rtrapasso
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ORIGINAL: Big B
Trivia question;
Speaking of the USA's Thanksgiving holiday tradition, does anyone know when the first National Proclamation of Thanksgiving was, as opposed to infrequent local proclamations? (hint: it had nothing to do with pilgrims and Indians).
Well, there was one by the Continental Congress in 1777 (but it arguably wasn't the US then)... Washington is credited with one in 1789, and there were sporadic ones after that. It really didn't become official until Lincoln declared the LAST Thursay of November as Thanksgiving (started in 1863). (NPR did a piece on this not long ago).
BTW, FDR changed it later to the 4th Thursday.
[image]local://upfiles/16855/4CF343E5B8E646C4A882F4213ECC8A8E.jpg[/image]
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