The Woman Behind Thanksgiving

Two years after the official establishment of the United States, President George Washington issued a proclamation Oct. 3, 1789, at the recommendation of Congress for a public day of giving “sincere and humble thanks” — for the nation and its “tranquility, union, and plenty.”

The first U.S. Thanksgiving celebration occurred Nov. 26 of that year, but nearly 100 years would pass before the event as we know it now became an annual, national holiday.

We can credit President Abraham Lincoln for declaring the last Thursday of every November as Thanksgiving Day. His Oct. 3, 1863, proclamation urged the public to reverently and gratefully pray for peace and harmony amid “a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity.”

What is often overlooked in the Thanksgiving story is the woman who petitioned Congress and urged five presidents to designate a unified national Thanksgiving holiday.

Sarah Josepha Hale (1788-1879), originally from New Hampshire and who lived much of her life in Boston and Philadelphia, turned to writing poetry to earn income after the death of her lawyer husband.

She is probably best known for publishing the 1829 book “Poems for Our Children,” which included the instantly popular nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”

As editor of Boston’s Ladies’ Magazine and later Godey’s Lady’s Book, Hale became one of the most socially influential voices in the 19th century. She used her platform to support various causes, including the education of women, the abolition of slavery and preservation of historic sites, including Bunker Hill Monument.

A persuasive writer, Hale campaigned presidents, governors and other influential individuals beginning in 1846 for the nation to mirror New England’s well-established tradition of giving thanks each year for abundant fall harvests. State governors began issuing proclamations for such a holiday by varying dates. She wrote presidents Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan, who largely ignored her.

In September 1863, less than three months after the Battle of Gettysburg, she published an editorial with her Thanksgiving message and also sent a letter to President Lincoln with her request for a “national recognition and authoritive fixation, only, to become permanently, an American custom and institution.” He took notice and issued his proclamation less than a week later, declaring the last Thursday of November to be National Thanksgiving Day and ordering all government offices in Washington be closed that day.

Hale continued as editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book until her retirement in 1877 at age 89. She died two years later.

You can learn more about Hale and her social impact at Boston National Historical Park. Explore President Lincoln’s legacy at Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Illinois; Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park in Kentucky; Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial in Indiana; and Lincoln Memorial and Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C.