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Show Washington WasFirst WasFirst Was First to Proclainl Proclaim ProclaimThanksgiving ProclaimThanksgiving Thanksgiving DayBut Day DayBut But Thanka Thank a Woman for forKeeping forKeeping Keeping It Alive . ARGUMENT A RGUMENT about the origin or1gm of ofThanksglvmg ofThanksgiving of1 Thanksgiving Thanksglvmg day in m the United UnitedStates UnitedStales UnitedStates States Stales has been going gomg on , lo 10 , , these thesemany thesemany thesemany many years There are several an answers answers answers swers , and which of them thcm is correct cor cor- correct correct - rect depends entirely upon the pOint pOintof pointof pointof of view viewWe We think thmk of Thanksgiving ThmhsgIVing , usually usuallyas as an institution mstItutIon begun by the Pil Pil- PlI- PlI PlIgnms Pilgrims Pilgrims - grims gnms Without a doubt it was the thePl1gnms thePilgrims thePilgrims Pl1gnms Pilgrims who whocre \\cre cre here \ \ ere the first group of ofAmencan ofAmerican ofAmerican Amencan American people to cease work toobserve to toobserve toobserve observe a day of thanksgiving thanksgIVmg thanksgivingIt thanksgIVmgIt It Itas \\as as v a . \ \ as George Washington Washmgton , , asPresident as asPresIdent asPresident PresIdent , , who proclaimed the first firstnatIonal firstnational firstnational natIonal Thanksgiving day . . It was Sarah Josepha Hale , , editorof editor editorof editorof of Godey's Godeys ' ' Lady's Ladys ' Book , , who fought foughtfor foughtfor foughtfor for many years to have the natIonal natIonalhohday nationalholiday nationalholiday hohday holiday revived as a regular annual annualcelebration annualcelebration annualcelebration annualcelebrationIt celebration celebrationIt It was President Abraham Lincolnwho Lmcoln Lincoln Lmcolnwho Lincolnwho who issued the first na national honal Thanksgiving Thanksti Thanks- Thanks ThanksSARAU - r rc ti . ' .t t . ' /c c / ) , Y ; t z zY Y u , tiny t to o r . t o owfiw wfiw ' " s sef ef iv ' , SARAU SARAH JOSEPHA JOSCPIIA HALEgiving HALE HALEgiving . giving proclamation since Jefferson Jeffersonreviving , , reVlvmg reviving a practice prachce that has been ob obsorved observed observed sorved served each year ever since by bywhatever bywhatever bywhatever whatever President who happened to be in m office gffice gfficeAmerica's officeAmerica's America's Americas ' first official omcial nahonal national nahonalThanksgIving nationalThanksgiving nationalThanksgiving ThanksgIving day occurred on No November November vember 29 , 1789 , , or 1C8 1G8 168 years after afterBradford afterBradford afterBradford Bradford s call upon the Pilgrimsto PilgrIms to give thanks President Washmg Washing Washmgton Washington Washington ton proclaimed it at the request of ofa ofa ofa a joint Jomt committee of both houses housesat housesof housesof at of congress who besecched beseeched him to todeclare todeclare declare a day of thanks tor for the fn- fn fa- fa fnvors favors fa favors - vors of God bestowed bestowcd upon the new newrepubhc newrepublic repubhc republic . . In his proclamation proclamahon PresidentWashington President PresidentWashington PresidentWashington Washington said : "Now Now " therefore do doI doI doI I recommend to the people of the United States a Day of Thanksgiv Thanksg1v- Thanksg1v Thanksgiv- Thanksg1vmg Thanksgiving Thanksgiving - ing mg that thate \\e e use \ \ then may unite 111 in inrendering 111rendering inrendering rendering unto Him our humble humblethanl humblethanl humblethani thanl s for His kind care and protcc protec protection protcchon protcction hon tion of this country previous to ItS ItSbecoming itsbecoming itsbecoming becoming a nation . for the favor favorable favorable favorable able interposition illterposlt1on of His ProvIdence Providencein ProvIdencem m in the course and conclusion concluslOn of the thelate thelate thelatear thelate late " \\ar ar "ar scar \ \ , for the great degree of oftranqullhty oftranquillity oftranquillity tranqullhty tranquillity , union and plenty whichwe which whichwe whichwe we have since smce enjoyed , for the thepeaceable thepeaceable thepeaceable peaceable and rational manner m in mwhich inwhich inwhich which we have been enabled to es estabhsh establish establish tabhsh tablish constitutions of government . . . . for the civil and religious relIglOus lIb lIberty liberty libcrty erty with which we are blessed . . . and also that we may then unite unitean uniteacid uniteand acid an : ! beseech Him . . , to promotevirtue promote promotevIrtue promotevirtue vIrtue , , knowledge hnowledge and the increaseof Increase Increaseof increaseof of science SClCnce among us " Seve Several > ; al more Thanksgiving ThansglvIng ! { day dayproclamatIons dayproclamations dayproclamations proclamatIons were made in the following fol followmg following lowmg lowing years , then under Je Jefferson Jeffersonthey Jeffersonthey Terson Tersonthey they \ vere Isere \ ere forgotten But those sen sentIment sentiment sentimcnto tIment . , , of 01 Washington's Washingtons Washmgton's Washmgtons ' ' ongInal original ongInalproclamatIon originalproclamation originalproclamation proclamatIon became a creed gen generatlons generations genorations eratlons erations later to Sarah JosephaHale Josepha JosephaHale JosephaHale Hale , editor of the highly mfluentlal influential mfluentlalGodey's influentialGodey's influentialGodey's influentialGodeys Godey's Godeys ' ' Lady's Ladys ' ' Book the maga71ne maganne maga71nemth maga7inewith magannewith mth with the quaint and colorful fashionprints fashIOn fashIOnprints fashionprints prints " which "hlCh hlCh today decorate lamp lampshades lampshades lampshades shades and hang in m picture frames framesm framesill framesin ill in thousands of homesThIS homesThis homes homesThis This cultured , energetic httle little littlewoman httlewoman littlewoman woman devoted a large share of her herhme hertime hertime hme time to her plan to make Thanksgiving Thanks Thanks- ThanksgiVing Thanksgiving - giving day an annual almual national hoh holi hohday holiday holiday day Shefote She \ wrote \\fote fote \ literally hterally thousands thousandsof of personal letters to governors urg urgmg urging urging mg ing that their states unite in observ observ- observing observing observing - - ing a Thanksgiving Thanksglvmg day . She fore foresaw foresaw foresaw saw the coming commg of the Civil war svar warand , and she looked upon a nahonal national nahonalThanksglvmg nationalThanksgiving nationalThanksgiving Thanksglvmg Thanksgiving day , uniformly umformly cele cele- celebrated celebrated cele- cele celebrated - - brated by all of the states , as con conduclve conducive conducive duclve ducive toward peace peaceBut peaceBut But it was not until after atter the warhad war warhad warhad had stalled staited stal ted that she succeeded in inobtammg inobtaining inobtaining obtammg obtaining a Presidential proclama proclama- proclamahon proclamation proclamation - tion hon from Abraham Lincoln Lmcoln LincolnA A national nahonal proclamation has goneforth gone goneforth goneforth forth in 111 m each of the 74 years sincethat Since Sincethat sincethat that time hme . . If we are happy about aboutIt aboutit It , let us give thanks this Thanks Thanhs- Thanhs ThanhsgiVing Thanksgiving - . giving to the fir fr , cemg eemg seemg 1 > s > editor of ofGodey's ofGodey's ofGodey's ofGodeys Godey's Godeys ' Lady's Ladys ' Book |