Evening star., 1932-11-24
THANKSGIVING ORIGIN ANCIENT,
DATING BACK TO ISRAELITES
First American Observance in May, 1873
First National Proclamation Was Made
by President Washington in 1789

as States, resulted from an inspiration
on the part of Elias Boudinot. Shortly
before Congress adjourned in Septem-
ber, 1889, he rose in the meeting OF
the House of Representatives to move
that the President be requested to rec
ommend a day of thanksgiving and
prayer in acknowledgment of the many
signal favors of Almighty God and espe-
cially His affording them an oppor-
tunity of establishing Constitution OF
government for their safety and happi-
ness" Roger Sherman of Connecticut
supported the motion. But Aedanus
Burke of South Carolina disapproved
this mimicking of European customs,
and Thomas T. Tucker of Virgir- d sug-
gested that lit might be as VII to wait
for some experience of the efficiency OF
the Constitution before returning
thanks for it, However, the motion
carried, and President Washington ap-
pointed November 26 as Thanksgiving
day. 1t is of interest to know that his
proclamation was the first ever issued
by an American Chief Executive. Two
phrases from the document are worthy
of quotation. In one Washington called
for gratitude "for the peaceable and ra-
tional manner in which we have been
enabled to establish constitutions of
government particularly the
national one lately instituted" In the
other he summoned the people to pray
for the protection and guidance of "all
sovereigns and nations. especially such
as have shown kindness to u.s.
Opposition Develops.
Washington's immediate successors,
including Madison, abided by his exam
pie. But Andrew Jackson refused on
the ground that he could not do other
wise without transcending the limits
prescribed by the Constitution for the
President" Zachary Taylor also de-
clined, saying that he Thought it most
proper to leave the subject in the hands
of the Governors of the several States. y
In point of fact, there had been op-
position to the idea on the part of the
South from the beginning. The people
of the Southern section of the country
considered Thanksgiving "a Yankee
holiday" and would have nothing to do
with it. When Gov. Wise of Virginia
presumed to issue Thanksgiving day
proclamation in 1857 he was hotly de-
nounced by newspapers and influential
individuals in his own and other
Southern States as attempting to revive
"a relic of Puritanic bigotry." But the
misunderstanding which was the cause
of this objection gradually was cor
rected.
The name Of Sarah Josepha Hale,
editor of Godey's Lady's Book, the first
periodical published in America Tor
women, came into the history OF
Thanksgiving about 1874. She insti-
tuted a campaign for national obserV-
ance of the festival, and such success
attended her efforts that by 1858 the
Governors of 25 States and of Terri
tories were issuing annual Thanksgiv-
ing proclamations. just after the bat
tie Of Gettysburg, in July, 1858, she
wrote to President Lincoln on the sub
ject, inclosing a copy. of Washington Is
initial proclamation. The Great Eman-
cipator acted Immediately, setting aside
Thursday, August 6, as "a day for ma
tional Thanksgiving, praise and prayer.
LincoIn's Attitude Model.
Iincoln's attitude served as model
for Andrew Johnson, whose first proc
lamation called for gratitude to God
that the country had been delivered
from the fearful scourge of civil war. "
Each President since Johnson has
followed the custom, and Thanksgiving
day now is generally accepted as the
only religious festival celebrated in the
United States by authority of the civil
government But the day is Fed
eral legal holiday only in the District
of Columbia, Alaska and our insular
possessions. Elsewhere throughout the
Union it is a State holiday by action OF
The Legislatures and by the proclamation
of the Governors of the same. There
is but one exception, the State OF Utah,
but there, too, Thanksgiving Is observed.
Most of the presidential proclamations
of Thanksgiving from 1886 to 1924 were
written by Alvey Augustus Adee, an AS
sistant Secretary of State during that
lengthy period. He was a master OF
English style and took great pains with
his compositions. The approval OF the
President, of course, was necessary IN
each case. President Hoover has writ
ten his own Thanksgiving messages.