How Thanksgiving Became a National Holiday

Thanksgiving becoming a National Holiday. In 1789, George Washington proclaimed the first nationwide Thanksgiving Day on November 26, 1789, as a day of prayer and gratitude for the new Constitution and the country's establishment. Following a resolution of Congress, President George Washington proclaimed Thursday, November 26, 1789, a day of “public thanksgiving and prayer” devoted to “the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be.” In setting aside a day for Thanksgiving, Washington established a non-sectarian tone for these devotions. This tone stressed political, moral, and intellectual blessings that make self-government, and personal and national repentance possible.
Abraham Lincoln, in1863 During the Civil War, Lincoln solidified Thanksgiving’s place in American tradition by declaring it a national holiday to be celebrated annually on the last Thursday of November. His proclamation was inspired by Sarah Josepha Hale, a writer who campaigned for a unified Thanksgiving holiday for decades.
Thanksgiving’s history reflects a Nation’s values of gratitude, collaboration, and resilience. The holiday remains a time for appreciating life’s blessings and fostering togetherness.