Thanksgiving Day 2017 - Calendar-12.com Nov. 2024 28 The dates the holiday is observed are marked with a dotted line (applies to federal holidays). Date calculations are based on your computer's date and time. Thanksgiving Day 2017 Tweet Thanksgiving Day is an annual national holiday in the United States and Canada celebrating the harvest and other blessings of the past year. In the US Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November while in Canada nearly one month and a half earlier (second Monday of October). Thanksgiving has deep roots in religious tradition, but nowadays it is primarily celebrated as a secular holiday. Thanksgiving tradition began in early XVII century, but the date and popularity varied between states. First nation-wide Thanksgiving was proclaimed on November 26, 1789 by George Washington. The contemporary date of fourth Thursday of November was set in 1941 by federal legislation. Thanksgiving Celebration Thanksgiving is a great time to be thankful and appreciate who you have and what you have. It is a time for families to meet, socialize and enjoy each other's company, sometimes the only opportunity in a year. Some prefer it to Christmas because of less emphasis on consumerism.

Thanksgiving, for most, is also a start of a four day weekend which is great, too. Put a link to this page on your blog or website Use Ctrl+C to copy the link <a href="" title="Check the date of Thanksgiving Day in 2017">2017 Thanksgiving Day</a> If you have found this website useful and would like to let other people know about it, simply copy the link shown above and paste to your blog post or a website. Thank you. © Calendar-12.com 2011 — 2017 We use cookies to personalize content and ads and to provide social functions and analyze traffic on our site. By continuing using our site, you accept our cookie policy and consent to the use of cookies. Read more Thanksgiving Day in the United States Home Calendar Holidays the United States Thanksgiving Day Thanksgiving Day in the United States Thanksgiving Day in the United States is a holiday on the fourth Thursday of November. It precedes Black Friday . Thanksgiving Day is a federal holiday in the United States. Thanksgiving Day is a federal holiday in the United States. ©iStockphoto.com/Olga Lyubkina What Do People Do?

Thanksgiving Day is traditionally a day for families and friends to get together for a special meal. The meal often includes a turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy, pumpkin pie, and vegetables. Thanksgiving Day is a time for many people to give thanks for what they have. Thanksgiving Day parades are held in some cities and towns on or around Thanksgiving Day. Some parades or festivities also mark the opening of the Christmas shopping season. Some people have a four-day weekend so it is a popular time for trips and to visit family and friends. Public Life Most government offices, businesses, schools and other organizations are closed on Thanksgiving Day. Many offices and businesses allow staff to have a four-day weekend so these offices and businesses are also closed on the Friday after Thanksgiving Day . Public transit systems do not usually operate on their regular timetables. Thanksgiving Day it is one of the busiest periods for travel in the USA. This can cause congestion and overcrowding. Seasonal parades and busy football games can cause disruption to local traffic. Background Thanksgiving Day has been an annual holiday in the United States since 1863. Not everyone sees Thanksgiving Day as a cause for celebration.

Each year since 1970, a group of Native Americans and their supporters have staged a protest for a National Day of Mourning at Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts on Thanksgiving Day. American Indian Heritage Day is also observed at this time of the year. There are claims that the first Thanksgiving Day was held in the city of El Paso, Texas in 1598. Another early event was held in 1619 in the Virginia Colony. Many people trace the origins of the modern Thanksgiving Day to the harvest celebration that the Pilgrims held in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621. However, their first true thanksgiving was in 1623, when they gave thanks for rain that ended a drought. These early thanksgivings took the form of a special church service, rather than a feast. In the second half of the 1600s, thanksgivings after the harvest became more common and started to become annual events. However, it was celebrated on different days in different communities and in some places there were more than one thanksgiving each year. George Washington, the first president of the United States, proclaimed the first national Thanksgiving Day in 1789.

Thanksgiving Day Observances When Is Thanksgiving 2017? U.S. and Canada | The Old Farmers Almanac Monday, October 8 Thanksgiving History In a 1789 proclamation, President George Washington called on the people of the United States to acknowledge God for affording them “an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness” by observing a day of thanksgiving. Devoting a day to “public thanksgiving and prayer,” as Washington called it, became a yearly tradition in many communities. Thanksgiving became a national holiday in 1863. In that year, during the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln made his Thanksgiving Day Proclamation. He asked his fellow citizens to “to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise …” It was not until 1941 that Congress finally designated the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day, thus creating a federal holiday. Read more about Sarah Josepha Hale, the “Godmother of Thanksgiving ,” who helped turn this historic feast into a national holiday. Of course, Thanksgiving is not born of presidential proclamations.

Native American harvest festivals had been celebrated for centuries, and colonial services dated back to the late 16th century. Thanksgiving Day, as we know it today, began in the early 1600s when settlers in both Massachusetts and Virginia came together to give thanks for their survival, for the fertility of their fields, and for their faith. The most widely known early Thanksgiving is that of the Pilgrims in Plimoth, Massachusetts, who feasted for 3 days with the Wampanoag people in 1621. Note that Thanksgiving Day in Canada is celebrated on the second Monday in October and has different origins. The first Canadian Thanksgiving Day was observed on April 15, 1872, to celebrate the recovery of the prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) from a serious illness. Why is Thanksgiving Celebrated With Turkey? Turkey has become the traditional Thanksgiving fare because at one time it was a rare treat. During the 1830s, an eight- to ten-pound bird cost a day’s wages. Even though turkeys are affordable today, they still remain a celebratory symbol of bounty.

In fact, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin ate roast turkey in foil packets for their first meal on the Moon. How much do you know about our native all-American bird? See more Turkey Trivia —and test your fellow Thanksgiving diners. Thanksgiving Recipes and Ideas While you’re here, take a peek at our list of Thanksgiving Recipes —including some historically-inspired dishes. The best part of a Thanksgiving meal is often the leftovers! See our recipes for Thanksgiving Leftovers . In need of a Thanksgiving table decoration? Try making a glove turkey ! Learn About Life in the U.S. | USA.gov American Holidays Federal Holidays Many government offices close on federal holidays and some private businesses may close as well. If the holiday falls during the weekend, the government may observe it on a different day. Federal employees receive pay and many receive time off for federal holidays . 2017 Federal Holidays Monday, January 2: New Year’s Day* Monday, January 16: Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Monday, February 20: Washington’s Birthday Monday, May 29: Memorial Day Tuesday, July 4: Independence Day Monday, September 4: Labor Day Monday, October 9: Columbus Day Friday, November 10: Veterans Day** Thursday, November 23: Thanksgiving Day Monday, December 25: Christmas Day *January 1, 2017 (the legal public holiday for New Year's Day), falls on a Sunday. Most federal offices will be closed on Monday, January 2, 2017, in observance of New Year's Day. **November 11, 2017 (the legal public holiday for Veterans Day), falls on a Saturday. Most federal offices will be closed on Friday, November 10, 2017, in observance of Veterans Day. On Inauguration Day, Friday, January 20, 2017, many federal offices in the Washington, DC, area will be closed. Commonly Celebrated Holidays and Observances Some holidays honor specific groups and events, such as Valentine’s Day, Earth Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Flag Day, and Halloween. These are not federal holidays.

Some holidays and observances receive Presidential proclamations. Ethnic and Religious Holidays Various ethnic and religious groups in the United States celebrate days with special meaning to them. Some of these holidays include Easter for Christians, the High Holy Days for Jews, Ramadan for Muslims, Day of Vesak for Buddhists, and Diwali for Hindus. The United States issues paper currency and coins to pay for purchases, taxes, and debts. Paper Money American paper currency is issued in several denominations : $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing manufactures paper money. It also redesigns money , with new appearances and enhanced security features to prevent counterfeiting. You can purchase commemorative or bulk versions of American currency through the Bureau's Money Store. The United States no longer issues bills in larger denominations, such as $500, $1,000, $5,000, and $10,000 bills. However, they are still legal tender and may still be in circulation.

Coins The United States issues several denominations, with the most common being: 1¢, 5¢, 10¢, 25¢, 50¢, and $1. The U.S. Mint is responsible for manufacturing and circulating coins to pay for goods and services. It also issues collectible and commemorative coins that honor a person, place, or event and are available for purchase . Mutilated Money If you have paper money that is extremely damaged, you can redeem it with the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Examples of damaged paper money include bills that are less than one half of the bill, or in such a condition that you are unable to tell the denomination of the bill. If you have paper money that is dirty, defaced, torn, or more than half of the original size, you can take it to your local bank to exchange it for a bill that is in better shape. If you have any coins that are fused, melted, or mutilated in any other way, you can send them to the U.S. Mint for evaluation. You can exchange other coins that aren't severely damaged at your local bank. Back to Top Help for New Immigrants The U.S.

Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) offers a free guide, Welcome to the United States: A Guide for New Immigrants, which helps new immigrants find basic information on how to settle in the United States. USCIS can also assist you in finding federal government resources and organizations that can help you learn English, apply for U.S. citizenship, manage money, find child care, and more. Back to Top Museums Museums collect and care for objects of scientific, artistic, or historical importance and make them available for public viewing. They generally concentrate on a particular subject, and most belong to one or more of the following categories: Fine Arts or Applied Arts History—Natural, Cultural, and Military Science Anthropology and Ethnology (branch of anthropology that analyzes cultures) Children's Museums Back to Top Official Language of the United States There is no "official" language at the federal level for the United States. Although the most commonly used language is English , more than 300 languages are spoken or signed by the population. Some individual states list English as their official language. If you would like the United States or your state to adopt an official language, you should contact your elected officials .

The federal government is required to provide access to federal programs and federally assisted programs for people with limited English proficiency . Back to Top States and State Capitals The Library of Congress provides historical information and fun facts about each state in the United States , including when they became a state, their nickname, and capital. If you need information on state programs and services, browse your state government website . Back to Top Time Zones The continental U.S. (including Alaska) spans five time zones . American Samoa, Hawaii, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands are located in additional time zones. Daylight Saving Time is a widely used system in the U.S. that adjusts the official local time forward one hour during spring and summer months. Clocks are moved ahead one hour on the second Sunday in March at 2 a.m. (local time). Clocks are moved back one hour on the first Sunday in November at 2 a.m. (local time). Some people remember which way to move their clocks by using the phrase, "spring forward, fall back." Daylight Saving Time is not observed in Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and most of Arizona.

Back to Top Do you need help? Ask us any question about the U.S. government for free. We'll get you the answer, or we'll tell you where to find it. How Did Thanksgiving End Up On The Fourth Thursday? : The Two-Way : NPR How Did Thanksgiving End Up On The Fourth Thursday? Move Thanksgiving to Friday? That's what F.B. Haviland asked President Hoover in 1929. Snippet of a letter F.B. Haviland sent to President Hoover in 1929 asking him to move Thanksgiving to Friday. National Archives hide caption toggle caption National Archives Didn't happen. But while we're on the subject, ever wonder why we carve our gobblers on the fourth Thursday of November? Hint: It's not because Thanksgiving Thursday is more alliterative than Thanksgiving Friday. In 1789, President Washington declared Thurs., Nov. 26, as a "Day of Publick Thanksgivin," according to the National Archives . But in the years following, the date for the holiday was announced by presidential proclamation and celebrated on various days and months. When President Lincoln made his Thanksgiving proclamation in 1863, the last Thursday of November became standard.

Then came the big date dispute of 1939 when two Thanksgiving holidays were observed. You see, according to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum , a five-Thursday November fell in 1933 and some retailers asked President Roosevelt to move the holiday up a week. A snippet of a 1933 letter from the Downtown Association of Los Angeles asking President Roosevelt to push back Thanksgiving by a week. Franklin D. Roosevelt Library and Museum hide caption toggle caption Franklin D. Roosevelt Library and Museum The president denied the request and Americans ate their turkey on the last Thursday as always in 1933. But, Roosevelt was president for a long time, long enough for another five Thursday November to roll around in 1939. Once again, some business leaders asked if the date for the holiday could be a week earlier to give people more time to shop for Christmas, and this time Roosevelt agreed to do it. This raised a hue and cry as many people felt that he was catering to large retailers so they could make more money.

Article continues after sponsorship A few governors decided their states would have Thanksgiving on the last Thursday of the month as usual and that's how some people ended up celebrating it a week earlier or later than others. For two years. President Roosevelt stuck with the second-to-last Thursday schedule, some states stuck with the last Thursday of the month schedule and finally on Dec. 26, 1941, Congress passed a law making Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday of November. Now you have a story to tell over Thanksgiving dinner. You're welcome. Thanksgiving 2017, 2018 - CalendarDate.com Winter Thanksgiving 2017, 2018 Thanksgiving Day is on the fourth Thursday of November. It is a time to give thanks for the harvest and of the preceding year. Today, Thanksgiving means spending time with family and friends over a large feast. Thanksgiving Day has been celebrated in the United States since 1863. Celebration\ Observance Thanksgiving Day centers around family and friends where a meal is shared. The meal traditionally includes turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, rolls, gravy, and pumpkin pie. It's a time to reflect and give thanks for what they have.

Parades and festivities are held in some cities, portraying Thanksgiving and marking the start of the Christmas season. Most government and businesses offices are closed. Many people have the Friday after Thanksgiving off giving them a four day weekend which is popular to see family and friends out of town. History The traditional Thanksgiving holiday is traced to a sparsely documented celebration in 1621 at Plymouth which is in present-day Massachusetts. The feast was prompted by a good harvest. But the very first Thanksgiving was actually in 1623, giving thanks for the rain that ended a drought. The holiday spread to various dates in different communities and even more than once a year. The first national Thanksgiving Day was proclaimed by George Washington, the first president of the United States, on November 26, 1789. Days till Thanksgiving 2017 When Is Thanksgiving Day? (In This and Other Years) By Scott P. Richert Updated January 16, 2017. Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday in the United States, though one with religious significance. Thanksgiving is a day set aside to honor God for the blessings that He has granted to us personally and as a nation.

Over time Thanksgiving has developed into one of the chief days on which families gather to celebrate their family ties, and in recent years Thanksgiving Day has come to mark the start of the secular holiday season in the United States. How Is the Date of Thanksgiving Day Determined? By law, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. That means that Thanksgiving Day falls on a different date each year. The earliest it can fall is November 22; the latest is November 28. (Many people mistakenly believe that Thanksgiving is celebrated on the final Thursday in November, but in those years when Thanksgiving Day falls on November 22 or 23, there are five Thursdays in November.) When Is Thanksgiving Day This Year? Here is the date of Thanksgiving Day this year: Thanksgiving Day 2017: November 23, 2017 When Is Thanksgiving Day in Future Years?

Here are the dates of Thanksgiving Day next year and in future years: Thanksgiving Day 2018: November 22, 2018 Thanksgiving Day 2019: November 28, 2019 Thanksgiving Day 2020: November 26, 2020 Thanksgiving Day 2021: November 25, 2021 Thanksgiving Day 2022: November 24, 2022 Thanksgiving Day 2023: November 23, 2023 Thanksgiving Day 2024: November 28, 2024 Thanksgiving Day 2025: November 27, 2025 Thanksgiving Day 2026: November 26, 2026 Thanksgiving Day 2027: November 25, 2027 Thanksgiving Day 2028: November 23, 2028 Thanksgiving Day 2029: November 22, 2029 Thanksgiving Day 2030: November 28, 2030 When Was Thanksgiving Day in Previous Years?

Here are the dates when Thanksgiving Day fell in previous years, going back to 2007: Thanksgiving Day 2007: November 22, 2007 Thanksgiving Day 2008: November 27, 2008 Thanksgiving Day 2009: November 26, 2009 Thanksgiving Day 2010: November 25, 2010 Thanksgiving Day 2011: November 24, 2011 Thanksgiving Day 2012: November 22, 2012 Thanksgiving Day 2013: November 28, 2013 Thanksgiving Day 2014: November 27, 2014 Thanksgiving Day 2015: November 26, 2015 Thanksgiving Day 2016: November 24, 2016 When Is . . . Thanksgiving Day history, information and facts and activities It is a day observed for giving thanks to God for one's blessings. The Pilgrims, a group of English protestant worshipers, came to the New world seeking religious freedom.

The Pilgrims, originally called separatists, later called Puritans, wanted to purify the teachings and ceremonies of the Church of England. King James I, the ruler of England would not recognize their rights to worship as they wished and they were punished and persecuted. Many sought refuge in the Netherlands and moved there in an effort to worship freely. However, they missed English Life and customs and many of them, when given the opportunity to go to the New World, America, gladly did so. They bordered the Mayflower on September 16, 1620 and landed off the coast of Cape Cod in Provincetown Harbor on November 21, 1620, sixty-six days after setting sail. A month later, under the leadership of Miles Standish, they chose a place to establish their colony and named it Plymouth, for the city in England from where they set sail. T he Mayflower Compact, the first governing agreement ever put forth in America was written by the Pilgrims, before they ever set foot on land. It set up the rules for governing the colony they would establish and did in December of 1620. More than half of the colony died that winter of 1621.

brought corn and wild turkeys for the feast. The colonists made journey cakes, corn meal bread, nuts and succotash. The Pilgrim men killed geese, ducks and fish. Later, Governor William Bradford decreed a three day feast on July 30, 1623 for Thanksgiving observation. The custom spread from Plymouth throughout the New England colonies. During the American Revolution eight days of thanks were observed, praying for victory over the British. George Washington issued a general proclamation naming November 26 a day of National Thanksgiving in 1789. The Episcopalian Church announced that the first Thursday in November would be an annual day of giving thanks. There was not a National Day of Thanksgiving recognized throughout the United States for many years. Some recognized and observed a day while others did not. In 1830 New York declared an official state Thanksgiving, other northern states followed it's example. Virginia was the first southern state to adopt a Thanksgiving Day in 1855.

Thanksgiving 2017, Thanksgiving 2018 and further 3962 Significance of Thanksgiving 2017 Thanksgiving 2017 (also known as Thanksgiving Day) is an important federal holiday, celebrated annually on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. Thanksgiving 2017 precedes “Black Friday” and is traditionally a holiday to give thanks for the food collected at the end of the harvest season. History of Thanksgiving In September 1620, a small ship called the Mayflower left Plymouth, England, carrying 102 passengers embarked on a journey to discover the New World. After a treacherous journey lasting 66 days, they arrived near the tip of Cape Cod, far north of their intended destination at the mouth of the Hudson River. One month later, the Mayflower crossed Massachusetts Bay, where the Pilgrims, as they are now commonly known, began the work of establishing a village at Plymouth. Throughout that first brutal winter, most of the colonists remained on board the ship, where they suffered from exposure, scurvy and outbreaks of contagious disease. Only half of the Mayflower's original passengers lived to see their first New England spring.

In March, the remaining settlers moved ashore and began to harvest with help and alliance with Native Americans of the area. This alliance tragically remains one of the sole examples of harmony between European colonists and Native Americans. In November 1621, after the Pilgrims' first corn harvest proved successful, Governor William Bradford organized a three-day celebratory feast, now remembered as American's “First Thanksgiving”- although, it is argued that the Pilgrims themselves may not have used the term “Thanksgiving” at the time. Historians also argue that the Pilgrims had their first true thanksgiving in 1623, when they gave thanks for rain that ended a drought. In the second half of the 1600s, thanksgivings after the harvest became more common and started to become annual events. George Washington, the first president of the United States, proclaimed the first national Thanksgiving Day in 1789 and it officially became an annual holiday in 1863. Traditions of Thanksgiving Although Thanksgiving 2017 has historical roots in religious and cultural traditions, it has long been celebrated in a secular manner as well.

Thanksgiving 2017 is a time for many people to give thanks for what they have. Presently, it has become a day for families and friends to get together for a special meal. The meal often includes a turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy, pumpkin pie, and vegetables. Volunteering is a common Thanksgiving Day 2017 activity, and communities often hold food drives and host free dinners for the less fortunate. Parades have also become an important part of the holiday in cities and towns across the United States. When is Thanksgiving 2017 Thanksgiving 2017 takes place on the fourth Thursday of November annually. The date on which the holiday falls on changes annually but remains on a Thursday, consult the above table for exact dates. See besides 'Thanksgiving' even more holidays, click on one of the links below. November Thanksgiving Thursday Origins of Fourth Thursday of November as Thanksgiving Day "NOVEMBER THANKSGIVING THURSDAY": ORIGINS OF FOURTH THURSDAY OF NOVEMBER AS THANKSGIVING DAY Why is Thanksgiving Day officially observed on the fourth Thursday of November?

Though the United States' thanksgiving celebration on the fourth Thursday of November began with the United States Congressional declaration of 1941 establishing that weekday as the legal holiday of Thanksgiving Day, earlier United States Presidential Proclamations called for the last Thursday of November to be celebrated as Thanksgiving. Those Presidential Proclamations, in turn, built upon an American Colonial tradition--predating the formation of the United States-- establishing a Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day. And the Thanksgiving Day Proclamations issued by American Colonial Governor Jonathan Belcher (1682-1757) played an important role in the origin of "November Thanksgiving Thursday." This is a little-known history not mentioned by other articles, which, after discussing the "first" Thanksgiving, typically begin their list of Thanksgiving Day proclamations with the one issued in 1789 by United States President George Washington naming November 26 as Thanksgiving Day. Next mentioned is often United States President Abraham Lincoln's Proclamation of 1863, which declared that the last Thursday of November should be celebrated as a day of thanksgiving. Succeeding U. S. Presidents followed Lincoln's lead, and this began the annual practice of U. S.

Presidential proclamations calling on the people to celebrate Thanksgiving holiday on the last Thursday of November. Then, in 1941, the United States Congress declared that in the years thereafter, the national legal holiday of Thanksgiving Day would be on November's fourth Thursday. The Colonial tradition most often discussed is that of the "First Thanksgiving" in New England celebrated by the settlers of the Plymouth Colony (commonly considered to be in Fall 1621). According to some researchers, Plymouth's first documented Thanksgiving Day was the day of thanksgiving observed in 1623--but this thanksgiving celebration was in Summer (probably July). Some researchers consider the "first" Thanksgiving proclamation to be the one issued by the Charlestown, Massachusetts council for a day of thanksgiving in 1676--but again, a summer day was selected: June 29. In 1721, Governor Gurdon Saltonstall of the Connecticut Colony (formerly, the home colony of Governor Jonathan Belcher's mother Sarah Gilbert Belcher) issued a Thanksgiving Proclamation naming November 8 as a thanksgiving day--but that day was a Wednesday.

Some descriptions of Thanksgiving briefly touch upon American Colonial history when they discuss Plymouth Governor William Bradford's Thanksgiving Days in December 1621 and Summer 1623 and then move on to U. S. President George Washington's Thanksgiving Day Proclamation naming November 26, 1789. Less well known is that celebration of Thanksgiving in November didn't begin with George Washington. There were earlier November Thanksgiving Day proclamations issued by Colonial governors in the American colonies. And among the most important were those issued by Colonial Governor Jonathan Belcher. Perhaps U. S. President George Washington got his November 26 date by following the lead of someone else. Let's follow the trail backward to reconstruct the origins of "November Thanksgiving Thursday".... About seven years prior to Washington's 1789 proclamation, the United States Continental Congress' Thanksgiving Proclamation urged the newly-formed American states to observe Thursday, November 28, 1782 as a Thanksgiving Day.

The Congress' Proclamation was signed by the President of the Continental Congress, John Hanson (1721-1783), and the Secretary of the Continental Congress, Charles Thomson (1729-1824), the co-designer of the Great Seal of the United States and a man who might have had a link to American Colonial Governor Jonathan Belcher. (For a discussion of how Governor Belcher's coat of arms apparently became the template for the Great Seal of the United States and Thomson's role in this, see The Great Seal of the United States and the Belcher Coat of Arms .) Interestingly, Hanson and Thomson were in power at the time the Great Seal of the United States (especially its Coat of Arms portion) was designed on June 19, 1782 (the final design seems to have been come up with overnight under the supervision of Charles Thomson) and adopted by the Continental Congress (of which Hanson was the President and Thomson was the Secretary) on June 20, 1782. (The Congress had turned the work of finishing the Great Seal (U. S.

Coat of Arms) over to Secretary Thomson on June 13, who, as the Great Seal and Belcher Coat of Arms article explains, probably was linked to Governor Belcher through Belcher's acquaintance with Benjamin Franklin (member of the first committee to design the U. S. Seal). Since Governor Belcher also had a link to Elias Boudinot (member of the third (final) committee to design the U. S. Seal--the committee that turned the work of designing it over to Barton, who was later supervised by Secretary Thomson), the design of the Coat of Arms of the United States (displayed on the breast of the eagle as part of the Great Seal of the United States) had ties to Governor Belcher from the beginning to the end of the seal-designing process. (For further information, read the article The Great Seal of the United States and the Belcher Coat of Arms .) (Interestingly, on September 16, 1782, President of Continental Congress Hanson was the first to use the new Great Seal of the United States, which had been entrusted to the custody of Secretary Thomson.

In 1789, Thomson personally delivered the Seal to the new President of the United States, George Washington, when Thomson resigned his post as the only Secretary of the Continental Congress (1774-1789)). There is another interesting connection associated with a Thanksgiving Proclamation issued in 1774 (the year Thomson became Secretary of the Continental Congress) at the dawn of the American Revolution (though this proclamation, issued by a legislature instead of a governor, called for a Thursday in December). The Massachusetts Provincial Congress proclaimed December 15, 1774, to be a Day of Public Thanksgiving throughout Massachusetts. This resolution was written by a committee of three headed by Governor Belcher's friend, John Winthrop (1714-1779), a professor of mathematics and natural philosophy at Harvard College . (It was Governor Belcher who originally recommended John Winthrop to Benjamin Franklin and that's how Franklin and Winthrop struck up their acquaintance.

Professor Winthrop's father, Judge Adam Winthrop, was one of Governor Belcher's special friends.) The signer of the Proclamation was the President of the Provincial Congress, John Hancock, a good friend of William Cooper's son, famed Revolutionary minister Samuel Cooper (1725-1783), who ghost-wrote some of Hancock's articles for the press. (Cooper also was a good friend of Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, two of the three members of the first committee for designing the Great Seal of the United States.) The two Coopers were also Governor Belcher's friends; not only did the governor commend the ability of Samuel Cooper, but also Governor Belcher specifically selected William Cooper to write and deliver a significant election day sermon in 1740 that set the stage for the U. S. Constitution's First Amendment religion clauses.) Though the Winthrop Proclamation of 1774 specified Thursday as Thanksgiving Day, it named a day in December. Hanson and Thomson's Proclamation of 1782 specified Thursday, November 28, and Washington's Proclamation of 1789 specified Thursday, November 26.

Maybe Hanson-Thomson and Washington were inspired by the November Thursday Thanksgiving dates established in 1730 and 1749 by Colonial Governor Jonathan Belcher. Could the fact that Washington's date of November 26 was a Thursday have had anything to do with Thursday being later selected as a Thanksgiving date by President Abraham Lincoln (one of our greatest U. S. Presidents)? (Though in the same year Washington issued his Thanksgiving proclamation, a November Thursday was selected as a Thanksgiving date by the Episcopal Church, this Thursday was the first Thursday in November.

In contrast, President Lincoln selected the last Thursday in November--a date closer to Governor Belcher's November 23, 1749; Hanson-Thomson's November 28, 1782, and President Washington's November 26, 1789 dates.) Governor Belcher's first Thanksgiving proclamation that established a Thursday in November as the Thanksgiving Day date was his Proclamation for Day of Thanksgiving printed in the November 2, 1730 issue of The New England Weekly Journal, clearly specifying that "THURSDAY the TWELFTH of NOVEMBER next" was to be "a day of Public THANKSGIVING throughout this Province." This Thanksgiving Proclamation specifically mentioned offering up prayer to God for "granting us a plentiful HARVEST", among other enumerated blessings. Thus, Thursday, November 12, 1730 was Governor Jonathan Belcher's First Thanksgiving Proclamation. It specifically mentioned a Thursday in November. The 1730 Thanksgiving Day Proclamation was issued at the beginning of Jonathan Belcher's governorship of the colonies of Massachusetts and New Hampshire, which lasted from 1730 to 1741.

As previously mentioned, Governor Belcher issued at least another Thanksgiving Day Proclamation in 1749, when he was governor of the colony of New Jersey. (Though he was officially chosen to be governor of New Jersey in 1746, he was on a trip to England at the time, and he didn't get to land on American shores again until 1747--hence the confusion that sometimes occurs about the beginning date of his New Jersey governorship. Since he was actually commissioned in 1746, however, the proper official beginning date for his New Jersey governorship is 1746. He died Governor of New Jersey in 1757.) Governor Belcher's 1749 Thanksgiving Day Proclamation established Thursday, November 23 as Thanksgiving Day--just five days shy of Hanson-Thomson's Thursday, November 28 and three days shy of President George Washington's Thursday, November 26 Thanksgiving dates in 1782 and 1789, respectively. Could Hanson-Thomson and Washington have been following Governor Belcher's lead?

Elias Boudinot (1740-1821) , member of the final (third) committee to design the Great Seal of the United States, lived across the street from the Governor Belcher Mansion in Elizabethtown, New Jersey. Elias' brother, Elisha, married Catherine ("Kate") Smith, the daughter of Governor Belcher's good friend William Peartree Smith (the wedding was held in the Governor Belcher Mansion). It was Elias Boudinot who "proposed a resolution asking President George Washington to issue a Thanksgiving Day Proclamation" (quoting from the account of the Proclamation's history given by United States Supreme Court Justice (later Chief Justice) William Rehnquist in his dissent in Wallace v. Jaffree (1985) ). Washington's Thanksgiving Day Proclamation of 1789 mirrored Governor Belcher's Thanksgiving Day Proclamation of 1749 . Once again, Elias Boudinot was involved.

He was a member of the committee that turned the design of the Great Seal of the United States over to William Barton (which in turn allowed Hanson to turn it over to Thomson supervising Barton), it was Hanson and Thomson who signed the Thanksgiving Proclamation in 1782, and it was Boudinot who specifically came up with the idea for a resolution requesting George Washington to issue his Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1789. As with the Great Seal of the United States, there were links to Governor Belcher from beginning to end of the finalization of the "November Thanksgiving Thursday" date. Take a few moments to compare the text of Governor Belcher's 1749 Thanksgiving Proclamation and the text of Washington's 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation (reproduced as quoted in part in Rehnquist's dissent in Wallace v. Jaffree (1985) .) To read Governor Belcher's 1730 "Thursday in November" Thanksgiving Day Proclamation, click here . A draft text (with spelling modernized) of Governor Belcher's 1749 "Thursday in November" Thanksgiving Day Proclamation is given below: By His Excellency Jonathan Belcher Esqr.

Captain General and Governor in Chief in and over His Majesty's Province of New Jersey and Territories thereon depending in America, Chancellor and Vice Admiral in the same & etc. A Proclamation for a public Thanksgiving taking into consideration the manifold blessings of Heaven to a sinful and unworthy people, in particular that it hath pleased Almighty God in much mercy to preserve the life of our most Gracious King and the rest of the Royal family, and to bless His Majesty's Councils and arms, by restoring a general peace among all the nations engaged in the late war. To continue our invaluable privileges both civil and sacred and that it hath pleased a Gracious God in many respects to smile on this Province, and not to punish us as our iniquities have deserved, to favor us with such a plentiful supply of rain after a sore distressing drought, and to grant the smiles of Providence upon the former and latter harvest, filling our hearts with food and gladness; which unmerited instances of the Divine Goodness call aloud for our public, humble and most grateful acknowledgments to the God of all our mercies.

I have therefore thought fit with the advice of His Majesty's Council to appoint and I do hereby appoint Thursday the twenty third Day of November next to be religiously observed as a Day of Public thanksgiving and praise to the great name of God our most gracious and bountiful benefactor, hereby exhorting both ministers and people to join in a public and serious manner in offering up their devout and thankful acknowledgments to the God of all our mercies and at same time to offer up their humble and hearty supplications at the Throne of Grace for the advancement of the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ in the world and that his blessed Gospel may run and be glorified among all nations and in particular among the Original Natives of this land and for all in authority over us, particularly that the best of blessings may descend on our Gracious Sovereign King George, the Prince and Princess of Wales, The Duke, the Princesses the Royal Issue, and on every branch of this illustrious family that the Protestant Succession may abide before God forever, that this Province may ever be remembered of God for good, that He would mercifully heal our divisions, restore peace and tranquility, humble us for our sins, prevent the judgments we deserve, that He would incline us

 to lead quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and honesty under the government placed over us, that He would graciously prevent the growth of sin and impiety, revive pure and undefiled religion and make us a people zealous of good works, and all servile labor is hereby strictly forbidden on said day.

Given under my hand this fourteenth day of October Anno Dom 1749. J. BELCHER

Question: In the US, Thanksgiving Day falls on the fourth Thursday of which month?
Answer: November