Lincoln and Thanksgiving: The Origin of an American Holiday | 5 Minute Video
The very first Thanksgiving happened almost 400 years ago – long before the nation was born. How did it evolve into America’s quintessential national holiday? Credit largely goes to two people – one, a name you know; the other, you’ve probably never heard – but should. Melanie Kirkpatrick, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, gives us the run-down on how a harvest party between Pilgrims and Indians became our oldest national tradition.
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Script:
In Plymouth, Massachusetts, in the autumn of 1621, 53 men, women and children celebrated their first harvest in the New World. The great Indian chief, Massasoit, brought 90 of his men to the three-day party. From all reports, a good time was had by all.
How did this event, which happened almost 400 years ago, become a part of the American story and our oldest national tradition?
Credit goes to many people, but two stand out. One you know, and one you should know: Abraham Lincoln and Sarah Josepha Hale.
More on both in a moment.
As a religious people, Americans have always had a keen sense they have been blessed by Providence. The pilgrims certainly felt this, and so did subsequent generations, including George Washington. Washington was the first president to declare a national day of public thanksgiving and praise. But it wasn’t until the Civil War that the idea of a national Day of Thanksgiving fully took hold.
In the autumn of 1863—at the height of the Civil War, when Americans were bitterly divided—Abraham Lincoln nevertheless called for a day of national thanksgiving.
Lincoln began his proclamation this way: “The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies.” It was an extraordinary way to characterize 1863—the bloodiest year of the war.
But even “in the midst of a civil war of unequaled severity and magnitude,” Lincoln continued, the nation had much to be thankful for and much to look forward to. The day was coming when America would again be united and experience, as Lincoln put it, “a large increase of freedom.” It was a profoundly hopeful message, reminding Americans of their nation’s capacity for renewal.
Lincoln’s decision to call for a national Thanksgiving came at the urging of a far-sighted and persistent magazine editor who believed such a celebration would have a “deep moral influence” on the American character. Her name was Sarah Josepha Hale. More than any single person, she is the reason we celebrate Thanksgiving today.
By the 1840s, many states had established an annual day of thanksgiving, but the date varied widely from state to state. Hale saw the value of a day in which the entire nation celebrated as one.
For two decades, she conducted a campaign to consolidate public support for her idea. As the influential editor of one of the most popular periodicals of the 19th century, year after year she wrote columns making the case for the holiday; she published fiction and poems with a Thanksgiving Day theme; and she offered her readers recipes for traditional Thanksgiving dishes such as roast turkey and pumpkin pie. And, by the way, she also wrote the nursery rhyme, “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”
For the complete script, visit https://www.prageru.com/videos/lincoln-and-thanksgiving-origin-american-holiday
source
1. John Hanson (a Moor) was actually the 1st President of the United States, he served from 1781 – 1782 and he was black. The new country was actually formed on March 1, 1781 with the adoption of The Articles of Confederation. This document was actually proposed on June 11, 1776, but not agreed upon by Congress until November 15, 1777. Maryland refused to sign this document until Virginia and New York ceded their western lands (Maryland was afraid that these states would gain too much power in the new government from such large amounts of land).
Once the signing took place in 1781, a President was needed to run the country. John Hanson was chosen unanimously by Congress (which included George Washington). In fact, all the other potential candidates refused to run against him, as he was a major player in the revolution and an extremely influential member of Congress.
As President, Hanson ordered all foreign troops off American soil, as well as removal of all foreign flags. He established the Great Seal of the United States, which all Presidents since have been required to use on all Official Documents. He declared that the 4th Thursday of every November to be Thanksgiving Day, which is still true today. Even though elected, one variable that was never thought through was that America was not going to accept a Black President during the heart of the enslavement period. Enter George Washington.
We should teach this to the orange man.
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday as everyone can join in. Any religion or none. Thank God or thank someone.
They, the Pilgrims, celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles without a Sukkah. Lincoln showed that the Business of even serving G-d was Business by connecting Thanksgiving to the Christmas shopping season.
Great video! Thank you
Watching on Thanksgiving 2022
HAPPY THANKSGIVING 🦃
Unlike the proclamations from Washington and Lincoln the writer of this video excluded God. The Thanksgiving and Praise goes to God!
Thank you for this!!
5:15 this is not the freeist country in the world. It is borderline a corporate oligarchy….
4:27 the pilgrims threw a party for native Americans because they saved the pilgrims from starvation
Jim Crow after reconstruction by white supremacist
Thanksgiving the time pilgrim white immigrants were saved by native Americans. And then there was peace. But future generations decided to be white supremacist and kill the native Americans as a genocide
I’m thankful people know this channel is republican propaganda
I love Thanksgiving! It's such a beautiful iconic holiday!
Having lived in Massachusetts I read about Hale and the importance of Thanksgiving to America. My family's tradition was to read a poem that included a stanza for everyone at the table and we all talked about thankfulness. One of my favorite holidays because it was not about receiving gifts but about giving thanks.
They have felt that they have been BLESSED BY G O D !
That word: "Providence" can have many ambiguous meanings.
Thank you. Transfer of our history and knowledge is important.
Give thanks in all things.
I've never heard Massasoit pronounced that way. Nor Josepha. Not sure where she's getting those.
The day was made a national holiday during times of war…indoctrinate Patriotism, it was strategic. The history taught in many schools does not give the perspective of the Natives, before, during and after the event. This is a skewed version Ms. Kirkpatrick.
Thanks for revealing that the thanksgiving recipes are all based on a woman's imaginations and fictions, and thanksgiving day began as a war propaganda.
I was lile how does abraham lincolm connects to thanksgivong that was before turn realize wait. Amish ad his wife.
https://youtu.be/4lc8aqj9fq0
abraham lincoln always saves the day
I am thankful that even though I didn't have family or friends to spend Thanksgiving with this year I was at least able to spend Thanksgiving in my new home of Idaho after fleeing from Democrat California
I’m thankful for PragerU and the message they carry
Early Thanksgiving: Early Christians almost died from winter. They were helped by Squanto-who had a personal journey of his own. I am thankful for that
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WjeHaGcWh8&t=78s this is all you need to know- it was a proclamation put into federal law. Good retelling.
Happy Thanksgiving 2020! 🍁
The last line of our pledge to the flag is
"Liberty And Justice For All!
To understand the root of racism in our nation, so we can change it, watch – 13th (Make sure it starts at the beginning, which explains the root start!!!)
https://youtu.be/krfcq5pF8u8
I think I read that Lincoln was an atheist and thought that people who believed in God were weird. He sent uncouth lowlifes down south to murder Christians, so he was probably an atheist. I think Robert E. Lee would offer days of thanks to God, so he probably got the idea from him. He was an unpopular tyrant, so he probably instituted Thanksgiving to make himself look good, cuz alot of people were religious back then. Good public relations ploy.
America’s oldest tradition is the 4th of July though
Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire appeared in the movie "Holiday Inn" in 1942. I remember when Thanksgiving in the movie came around, there was a cartoon of a turkey wandering from date to date on the calendar, then putting up his hands (wings?) in frustration. Now we know why; up to that time a firm date for the holiday had not yet been established. Melanie Kirkpatrick addressed that issue in this video.
I'm thankful for your content, for I learn, on a deeper level, about many subjects that I only understood on a surface level. Happy Thanksgiving Prager U
LINCOLN made Thanksgiving a holiday to celebrate the Yankee victory at Gettysburg and to distract Northerners from the horrors of an unpopular war. Southerners refused to recognize a day New England was established when Jamestown predated Plymouth by more than 13 years. For a man elected with 40% of the popular vote, Lincoln was already running for a second term in 1963.
Not a word about our Savior Jesus Christ. To whom should we be thankful to if not the one who gave us life and the chance at eternal life.
Not 1 mention of slavery in this whole video. I guess prager u believes slavery doesn’t exist. But ironically I’ve heard the word “Freeedom” in this video 25 times.
Does Prager U. Know what “Freedom” Means?
I'm thankful to Prager U, a flaming sword against the forces of the intellectually dishonest and willfuly blind, which seem to encroach on our society more and more every year.