Sarah Josepha Hale (1788-1879) was America's first woman editor and the author of many novels and poems , publishing nearly fifty volumes of work in her lifetime. President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1864 after Hale had spent 40 years campaigning for a national day of thanks.
Why is Sarah Josepha important?
Poet, Sarah Josepha Hale is best known for creating the nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb .” However, her work extends far beyond her writing. Her influence can be seen in historic sites and a famous national holiday still widely celebrated today.
Why is Sarah Josepha Hale so important to Thanksgiving?
In 1863, with the country torn by the Civil War, Hale's campaign finally got people's attention. That September, she put her thanksgiving message into an editorial and wrote to President Abraham Lincoln, urging him to make Thanksgiving Day a fixed national festival. Lincoln liked Hale's idea.
Who was known as the mother of Thanksgiving?
I have long admired Sarah Josepha Hale for enriching women's lives back in the 1800s. During this time of year, that admiration turns to near affection for Hale, a prominent writer, editor and social mover of her day, as she was also the “Mother of Thanksgiving.”
What did Sarah Josepha Hale believe?
Suffrage: Sarah Josepha Hale did not support women's suffrage, as she believed that voting was in the public, or male, sphere . She endorsed “secret, silence influence of women” instead.
What did Sarah Hale fight for?
Sarah Josepha Buell Hale (October 24, 1788 – April 30, 1879) was an American writer, activist, and an influential editor. ... Hale famously campaigned for the creation of the American holiday known as Thanksgiving , and for the completion of the Bunker Hill Monument.
How did Hale campaign for a national holiday?
Just five days later, President Lincoln did as Hale requested, issuing a proclamation to establish a National Day of Thanksgiving each year on the last Thursday of November, so the American people could celebrate grace and good fortune “with one heart and one voice.” Several years later, Congress passed legislation ...
Why Thanksgiving became a national holiday?
Some historians question if the origin of Thanksgiving wasn't even earlier than 1621. However, Lincoln declared Thanksgiving Day be held on the last Thursday of November in 1863, “ hoping to reconcile a country in the throes of the Civil War .” That's why it's national holiday.
Who helped make Thanksgiving a holiday by writing to politicians?
In the early 1840s, Sarah Josepha Hale , the editor of the popular magazine Godey's Lady's Book, began using her columns to push for nationalizing Thanksgiving and celebrating it on the last Thursday in November. Her writing became more and more impassioned as she witnessed the widening rift over slavery.
What role did Thanksgiving play during the Civil War era?
However, it wasn't until October 3, 1863, at the height of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln issued a Thanksgiving Day proclamation encouraging Americans “in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea, and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last ...
Where did Sarah Hale live?
Sarah Josepha Hale, née Sarah Josepha Buell, (born Oct. 24, 1788, Newport, N.H., U.S. —died April 30, 1879, Philadelphia, Pa.), American writer who, as the first female editor of a magazine, shaped many of the attitudes and thoughts of women of her period.
Who made Thanksgiving a national holiday?
She finally had success when in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday on the last Thursday in November. Lincoln's proclamation urged the nation to heal its wounds and restore “peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.”
Did Lincoln invent Thanksgiving?
Amidst a raging Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln issued a “Proclamation of Thanksgiving” on October 3, 1863 , 74 years to the day after President George Washington issued his first presidential Thanksgiving proclamation. ... Lincoln delegated the drafting of the Thanksgiving Proclamation to Secretary of State William H.
Who encouraged Lincoln to make Thanksgiving a national holiday?
Sarah Josepha Hale , a 74-year-old magazine editor, wrote a letter to Lincoln on September 28, 1863, urging him to have the “day of our annual Thanksgiving made a National and fixed Union Festival.” She explained, “You may have observed that, for some years past, there has been an increasing interest felt in our land to ...
Who is Sarah Josepha Hale and what is her connection to Thanksgiving?
It was 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation declaring “a Day of Thanksgiving and Praise,” the culmination of a 36-year campaign started by so-called “mother” or “godmother” of Thanksgiving, Sarah Josepha Buell Hale—a magazine editor and writer who many say also wrote the poem that became the ...
Family. He married Sarah Preston Everett (sister of Edward Everett) in 1816. Their children included Sarah Everett Hale, Nathan Hale, Jr. ... Nathan, Sr., was also the nephew of the Revolutionary War hero, hanged by the British as a spy, Nathan Hale.
Why is Thanksgiving so important?
Thanksgiving Day, annual national holiday in the United States and Canada celebrating the harvest and other blessings of the past year . Americans generally believe that their Thanksgiving is modeled on a 1621 harvest feast shared by the English colonists (Pilgrims) of Plymouth and the Wampanoag people.
Why did Abraham Lincoln declare Thanksgiving?
On October 3, 1863, expressing gratitude for a pivotal Union Army victory at Gettysburg , President Abraham Lincoln announces that the nation will celebrate an official Thanksgiving holiday on November 26, 1863.
How do you explain Thanksgiving to a child?
- Talk about family traditions and tell stories. ...
- Talk about your Thanksgiving feast. ...
- Be thankful. ...
- Share and donate. ...
- Create something for Thanksgiving together. ...
- Have fun.
What is a unique interesting fact about Thanksgiving?
10 Thanksgiving Fun Facts
Every Thanksgiving, the current U.S. president pardons a turkey. Macy's has put on a parade every Thanksgiving since 1924. Thanksgiving is the biggest travel day of the year . The foods eaten for Thanksgiving dinner haven't changed much since 1621.
When Did Abraham Lincoln declare Thanksgiving?
Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation
On October 3, 1863 , with this victory in mind, as well as its cost, President Lincoln issued a proclamation: I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, ...to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving...
What did Abraham Lincoln eat for Thanksgiving?
In fact, Lincoln himself shared an unofficial Thanksgiving meal with his family on November 29, 1860, just after being elected president. The celebration featured a roasted turkey , one of his favorite meals, followed by a church service focused on giving thanks for health, good fortune, and family.
Did Confederates celebrate Thanksgiving?
Wise, was even more intransigent. In 1856, he received the same annual letter from Sarah Josepha Hale that every other governor did, encouraging him to declare a general day of Thanksgiving. Wise not only declined to make the proclamation, but fired back a testy refusal.
What is the real history of Thanksgiving?
The “first Thanksgiving,” as a lot of folks understand it, was in 1621 between the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony and the Wampanoag* tribe in present-day Massachusetts. While records indicate that this celebration did happen, there are a few misconceptions we need to clear up.
When did Thanksgiving become about Pilgrims?
The real history of the first Thanksgiving
Historians long considered the first Thanksgiving to have taken place in 1621 , when the Mayflower pilgrims who founded the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts sat down for a three-day meal with the Wampanoag.
The author of Mary Had a Little Lamb was a dedicated advocate for Thanksgiving . ... Per History.com, Hale also lobbied lawmakers to recognize Thanksgiving as an official holiday and wrote several editorials on the subject. By 1854, Hale had seen some great success — 30 U.S. states and territories recognized the celebration ...
What was the name of the lady that campaigned to have Thanksgiving made into a national holiday?
After more than three decades of lobbying, Sarah Josepha Hale (and the United States) had a national holiday, though some changes remained in store.
