The Van Buren press., 1897-11-06
The History of Thanksgiving Day.

new Englduu Colullsts uulgHl pf1pcAi.
enjoy day of thanksgiving in re-
membrane of the fruits Of their labor'
during the year that had passed.
Another day of rejoicing was set apart
and solemniEed as "a day of thanks.
giving unto the Lord, - after ar
abundant harvest in 1929. 1t is stated
that on this occasion Massasoit and his
council Of braves were invited to
participate in the festivities, and that
they did so, spending three days in
/. fessting. Evidently the Indian friends
of the colonists found Thanksgiving
Day day TO be made the most of.
These Thanksgiving Day We're not,
however. OF official character. The
first official public Thanksgiving Day
WAS not until the year 1881 and even
this day was not at first intended 10 be
8 day Of rejoicing and thanksgiving.
II had been set apart SIS day of fasting
snd prayer for relief. The eolonists
were in great distress; famine WAS i'm
minent; vessel laden with provisions,
snd long st sea. hsi not arrived. But
just before the day q fasting came the
ship made port; sni the day was then
officially changed by the authorities
from day Of sorrow 10 $ dSy Of thanks
giving. This was the frSt real Thanks
giving Day Of the American people.
Thanksgiving isys were occasionally
observed also in the New NetherlAnd
after this date; but il was not until
February. 1914. tha; another official
Thanksgiving Day was proclaimed.
That wear Gov kieft proclaimed "a
dsy Of general thanksgiving. the
occasion being the victory Of the colo
nists over the Indians. At the eencln-
sion Of the peace. IN 1915, another
Thanksgiving Day was proclaimed.
We sre not told that the Indians were
invited TO this ceremony.
Occasional days Of fasting. prayer
and thanksgiving were kept by the
various colonists af different times. but
no general Thanksgiving was SET apart
until IT'S, when the continental
congress adopted the practice of
designating such days. The first WAS
Thursday, July 20. IT'S. The follow
ing Thanksgiving Days were also sug
gested by the continental congress:
Friday. May Il. 1776; December Il,
lie. Wednesday. April %. ITS;
Thursday, May 6. 177s; Wednesday
April 8, 1880; Thursday, May s. ISL
Thursday, April e5. 17s2 These days
were suggested in form of recommend
stions to the states, whose governors
were asked TO issue proclamatiens TO
their peoples for days of thanksgiving
Business, with one exception, was sns
pended on these occasions. Washing
ton also issued special proclamation
to the colonial army for general
Thanksgiving Day on Thursday,
December is, 1777, and again on May
=, ITS.
The first national Thanksgiving Day
was. by proclamation of President
Washington, set for Thursday, Novem-
Der %. 1889 The second was set for
Thursday, February 10, 1875. The
honor of the first suggestion seems to
belong to Representative Elias Boudi
not, who moved, in the house, that the
president be requested TO recommend
"a day of thanksgiving and prayer, to
be observed by the people of the United
States. There was some opposition
TO the motion, the objections advanced
being that such thing might tend 10
imitation of the frivolties and pomps Of
kingdoms and other harmful doing, but
the motion prevailed, and Thursday.
November 26, I7se. became the first
national Thanksgiving Day of the
American people.
Other presidents. sitter Washington,
issued Thanksgiving Day proclams-
tons, from time 70 time. until nov il is
become the ANIMAL practice Of the
p-ssi3eui O: The United States TO name
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