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Thanksgiving is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November (which became the uniform date country-wide in 1941). [2] [3] Outside the United States, it is sometimes called American Thanksgiving to distinguish it from the Canadian holiday of the same name and related celebrations in other regions.
[17] [18] [19] The practice of holding an annual thanksgiving harvest festival did not become a regular affair in New England until the late 1660s. [20] Thanksgiving proclamations were made mostly by church leaders in New England up until 1682, and then by both state and church leaders until after the American Revolution. During the ...
When did Thanksgiving become a national holiday? More than 160 years after the 1621 feast, President George Washington declared Nov. 26, 1789, as a day of prayer and thanksgiving.
How did Thanksgiving start? Most of what we know about early American settlers comes from the journal of William Bradford, the first governor of Plymouth, Massachusetts.
In one 1884 plan, Thanksgiving is said to be set apart from these holidays because "it is not a day of boisterous hilarity and celebration but a devout outpouring of thanks from a God-fearing people for blessings received during the year," specifically because of its origin in the 1621 event. [24]
When did Thanksgiving become a national holiday? More than 160 years after the 1621 feast, President George Washington declared Nov. 26, 1789, as a day of prayer and thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving did not become an official tradition after the first Thanksgiving feast. It wasn't until centuries later, in 1863, that President Lincoln declared it a national holiday.
While this tradition of Thanksgiving dates back over 400 years, the holiday did not become official until the mid-1800s, and the date was not solidified until almost 100 years after that.