Funny story - last November my neighbor asked me over pumpkin pie: "So when exactly did Thanksgiving become a holiday anyway?" I gave what I thought was a smart answer about Pilgrims and 1621. Turns out I was dead wrong about almost everything. That sent me down a rabbit hole of historical documents that completely changed how I view turkey day.
Most folks think Thanksgiving started with the Plymouth feast and just continued uninterrupted. Reality? This holiday took a wild 200-year detour through political battles and presidential stubbornness before becoming official. Let's unpack the messy, fascinating journey of how Thursday turkey dinners became American law.
The Pilgrim Myth vs. Historical Reality
We've all seen the elementary school plays - buckled hats, friendly Natives, giant turkeys. That 1621 harvest celebration did happen, but calling it the "first Thanksgiving" is like calling Columbus the "first visitor" to America. Similar feasts occurred:
- 1565 Spanish explorers in Florida held a mass and meal with Timucua people
- 1619 Virginia colonists decreed annual thanksgivings upon landing
Mind blown? Mine too. Those early events weren't national holidays though - just local observances. So when did Thanksgiving become a holiday nationally? That requires fast-forwarding past Plymouth Rock.
| Year | Event | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| 1621 | Plymouth Harvest Feast | Lasted 3 days, but wasn't repeated annually |
| 1676 | Charlestown, MA Proclamation | First official "Thanksgiving" designation (for military victory) |
| 1777 | Continental Congress Thanksgiving | First national proclamation (celebrating Saratoga victory) |
*Fun fact: Early thanksgivings were usually days of prayer, not feasting
Why the Pilgrim Story Stuck
Honestly? Great PR. In the 1840s, magazine editor Sarah Josepha Hale found the Plymouth tale more "quaint" than other origins. She pushed it hard for 20 years until Lincoln bit. That woman deserves a parade float.
The Presidential Wrestling Match
Here's where it gets juicy. Founding fathers argued constantly about Thanksgiving. John Adams thought it reeked of monarchy. Thomas Jefferson straight-up refused to issue proclamations, calling it "kingly nonsense."
For decades, Thanksgiving existed in this weird limbo - celebrated in New England but ignored elsewhere. What finally forced the issue? Turns out war makes presidents reconsider gratitude...
Lincoln's Game-Changing Move
October 3, 1863. America's bloodiest year. Amid Civil War carnage, Lincoln declared the last Thursday in November a national holiday. His exact words? Needed to heal "the wounds of the nation."
But get this - Sarah Hale had been bugging him weekly for months. Her 1863 letter practically screamed: "You need to make Thanksgiving a fixed national festival!" Smart woman. So when did Thanksgiving become a permanent holiday? 1863 is the real answer.
"I need to put this on record: Hale did most of the heavy lifting. Lincoln just signed the paper. History's funny that way."
Turkeys, Timings, and Retail Revolutions
You'd think Lincoln's proclamation settled things. Nope! For 80 more years, Thanksgiving timing caused chaos:
- The Date Debate: Presidents annually "set" the date, sometimes as early as November 18, as late as December 3
- Retail Revolt: When FDR moved it a week earlier in 1939 to extend Christmas shopping, 16 states rebelled, calling it "Franksgiving"
Can you imagine having Thanksgiving on different weeks depending on your state? Pure madness. This mess finally forced Congress to act.
| Year | Decision | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Congressional Act | Fixed Thanksgiving as 4th Thursday in November |
| December 26, 1941 | FDR's Signature | Made the date federal law (barely 3 weeks after Pearl Harbor) |
So technically, Thanksgiving didn't become the stable holiday we know until World War II. Wild, right? That means your grandma witnessed the "new" Thanksgiving rollout.
Thanksgiving FAQs: What People Actually Ask
Was Thanksgiving always in November?
Nope! Early celebrations bounced around:
- December 18, 1777 (Continental Congress)
- November 26, 1789 (Washington's first presidential)
- Even January dates occurred!
The November anchor came from Lincoln's 1863 proclamation.
Why do Canadians celebrate earlier?
Their harvest season hits sooner. Canada made Thanksgiving official in 1879 - earlier than the US fixed its date! Their secret? Less presidential drama.
Did turkey cause the holiday delay?
Kind of! Industrial turkey farming exploded in the 1930s. Big poultry lobbies actually pushed for Thanksgiving's date stabilization to guarantee November turkey sales. Capitalism meets cranberry sauce.
The Forgotten Controversies
Nobody talks about the ugly parts. Early thanksgivings often followed massacres of Native tribes. The 1676 Charlestown proclamation celebrated wiping out the Wampanoag. Chilling stuff.
Modern Native Americans observe a National Day of Mourning. Some fast instead of feast. It's a necessary counter-narrative that makes me rethink my second helping of stuffing.
My Personal Takeaway
After digging through archives, I've made peace with Thanksgiving's messy birth. No, it wasn't Pilgrims. Yes, politics and capitalism shaped it. But Lincoln got one thing profoundly right: in dark times, carving space for collective gratitude might be the most radical act of all.
So when someone asks "when did Thanksgiving become a holiday?" I say: Depends what you mean! The feast? 1621. The tradition? 1670s. The national holiday? 1863. The stable date? 1941. Like America itself, Thanksgiving remains beautifully, frustratingly unfinished.
Just don't get me started on creamed corn vs. whole kernel. That's a real family feud.
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