Welcome to all of our new readers from the ExactFreedom and Curious Peoples newsletters. We are happy to have you.

Today’s newsletter will be a brief history of Thanksgiving to read in between portions of turkey and mashed potatoes.

A Brief History of Thanksgiving

As the first-ever U.S. President, George Washington issued a proclamation calling for a national day of thanksgiving in 1789. This proclamation was intended to acknowledge and express gratitude for the new nation's successful ratification of the Constitution. However, this was a one-time event and did not establish a recurring national holiday.

Abraham Lincoln took the next significant step toward making Thanksgiving a regular national holiday.

In the midst of a Civil War that was physically and spiritually dividing the nation, Lincoln issued a proclamation designating the last Thursday of November as a day of thanksgiving, praise, and prayer.

This proclamation set a precedent for future presidents to follow, and Thanksgiving became an annual tradition in the United States.

Finally, in 1941, Congress officially established Thanksgiving as a legal public holiday on the fourth Thursday of November. This decision aimed to provide a sense of continuity and tradition during one of the darkest periods in American history, as the country emerged from the Great Depression into World War II.

This legislation confirmed and solidified the celebration of Thanksgiving as a cherished national holiday. The rest, they say, is history.

ART OF THE DAY

Thank you for reading. Please reply to this email if you have any thoughts or feedback.

Yours,
Dan