# Thanksgiving: 150th Anniversary of Traditional Celebration This Year

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-150th-anniversary-of-traditional-celebration-this-year/674632>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [November 23, 2013, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-150th-anniversary-of-traditional-celebration-this-year/674632 "2013-11-23T18:58:34Z")\
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**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 2013, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-150th-anniversary-of-traditional-celebration-this-year/674632/1 "2013-11-23T18:58:34Z")

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While I had always been under the impression that Thanksgiving originated with the Pilgrims and the Indians (which I heard about in grade school), Thanksgiving celebrations varied substantially from state to state until President Lincoln declared a uniform national holiday in 1863. Apparently Sarah Josepha Hale (if you don’t recognize the name perhaps “Mary had a little lamb” is familiar) was the force behind the proclamation:

> **[How the 'Mother of Thanksgiving' Lobbied Abraham Lincoln to Proclaim the...](https://www.history.com/news/abraham-lincoln-and-the-mother-of-thanksgiving)**
>
> The author of the children's poem "Mary Had a Little Lamb" was persistent in arguing that establishing the national November holiday could help heal wounds from the Civil War.

And for other tidbits see:

> **[Thanksgiving (United States)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving_%28United_States%29)**
>
> Thanksgiving is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. It is sometimes called American Thanksgiving (outside the United States) to distinguish it from the Canadian holiday of the same name and related celebrations in other regions. It originated as a day of thanksgiving and harvest festival, with the theme of the holiday revolving around giving thanks and the centerpiece of Thanksgiving celebrations remaining a Thanksgiving dinner. The dinner t New...