Thanksgiving Proclamation

On October 3, 1863, in the middle of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed that the last Thursday in November would be celebrated as Thanksgiving Day in the United States, and it's been celebrated on that day since then. However, the idea of Thanksgiving Day has a much longer history in the country.

Many date it back to 1621 when the Pilgrims in Massachusetts held a feast to celebrate and give thanks for the good harvest. Berkeley Plantation in Virginia was the site of prayers and thanksgiving by settlers even before that, as early as 1619. Individual clergy and church leaders continued to proclaim days of thanksgiving in the colonies in the following years.

George Washington was the first to announce a national day of Thanksgiving. He designated November 26, 1789 "as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favours of Almighty God." However, President Lincoln set the continuing holiday in place.

In my historical novel set in the Civil War, Leah decides to wait until the war is over and her husband comes home to celebrate. Supplies are already beginning to be hard to get, she hasn't heard from Luke since the Battle of Gettysburg, and she's struggling to keep her hopes up. Here is a paragraph from the book about it:

            In October, they butchered a hog on the farm and used the rest of their hoarded salt in preserving the meat. Lincoln also proclaimed the last Thursday in November a day of Thanksgiving. Leah felt thankful to God, but she would wait to hold a big Thanksgiving celebration until Luke came home.

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