Thanksgiving feels permanent today, yet the national holiday didn’t begin with a single dinner, a single president, or a single proclamation.
On October 3, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation inviting Americans to observe the last Thursday of November as a Day of Thanksgiving and Praise. Secretary of State William H. Seward drafted the text. Lincoln signed and issued it as president. The proclamation linked gratitude with prayer, humility, compassion, and hopes for national healing.
Abraham Lincoln did not invent Thanksgiving. Instead, the Lincoln Thanksgiving Proclamation helped establish the holiday as a recurring national observance after 1863. Sarah Josepha Hale, George Washington, state governments, later presidents, and Congress also shaped the holiday.
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Thanksgiving Before Abraham Lincoln
Thanksgiving traditions existed long before Abraham Lincoln and Thanksgiving Day became closely linked in popular history. Colonial communities, churches, governors, and states proclaimed days of thanksgiving for harvests, military victories, relief from hardship, and religious reflection.
Which President First Proclaimed Thanksgiving Day?
George Washington issued the first presidential national Thanksgiving proclamation in 1789. He designated November 26 as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer. John Adams and James Madison later issued thanksgiving proclamations. Still, presidents did not yet maintain one annual national Thanksgiving observance.
Washington holds that presidential distinction. Yet which president started Thanksgiving depends on what “started” means. Thanksgiving customs predated the presidency, while Lincoln later established the enduring annual presidential pattern.
Thanksgiving Traditions Before the Civil War
By the nineteenth century, Thanksgiving had become especially familiar in New England and other northern states. State Governors often selected their own dates.
That uneven system explains why Sarah Hale pushed for a shared holiday that could become an American custom and fixed annual observance.
Sarah Josepha Hale and the National Thanksgiving Campaign
Who Was Sarah J. Hale?
Sarah Josepha Hale became editor of Ladies’ Magazine in 1828. After that publication became part of Godey’s Lady’s Book, she continued as editor for decades. The Library of Congress describes the magazine as highly influential among American women.
Hale used editorials and historical correspondence to support civic causes and a national Thanksgiving, linking women’s history with public advocacy.
Hale’s Letter-Writing Campaign
Hale wrote governors, ministers, public officials, and presidents. Her goal was one nationwide observance on the last Thursday of November.
On September 28, 1863, Hale sent Lincoln a direct request. In her letter, she called for a “National and fixed Union Festival.” She believed presidential authority could encourage State Executives to cooperate and establish a unified observance.
Her letter is a valuable primary source showing that the Thanksgiving movement did not appear overnight.
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What President Did Sarah Josepha Hale Convince?
People often ask which president Sarah Josepha Hale convinced to support a national Thanksgiving. The answer is Abraham Lincoln.
Still, “convince” is too simple. Hale’s letter arrived after decades of campaigning. Five days later, Lincoln issued the October 3 proclamation, building on deep state, religious, and cultural roots.
Abraham Lincoln in 1863: Thanksgiving During the Civil War
To understand Abraham Lincoln in 1863, you must understand the American Civil War. The nation had endured two years of military conflict, death, displacement, political strain, and divided families.
The Battle of Gettysburg that July produced more than 50,000 casualties. Against that background, a wartime Thanksgiving carried unusual weight.
Thanksgiving and the Civil War
The Thanksgiving Civil War story is not simply about a feast day. Lincoln’s proclamation acknowledged blessings while recognizing national suffering.
It addressed widows, orphans, mourners, and those suffering from civil strife. The language joined spiritual gratitude with penitence, prayer, mercy, and concern for families affected by war.
Lincoln Issued More Than One Thanksgiving Proclamation
The October Abraham Lincoln Thanksgiving Proclamation was not his only wartime proclamation.
He designated August 6, 1863, as a day of national thanksgiving, praise, and prayer after Union victories. The October proclamation became famous for establishing the recurring November pattern.
After exploring Lincoln’s wartime leadership, return to the State House Inn, a Springfield hotel with renovated rooms, complimentary hot breakfast, free parking, and free Wi-Fi.
The Lincoln Thanksgiving Proclamation of October 3, 1863
President Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation invited Americans across the United States to observe the last Thursday of November. In 1863, that date was November 26.
What Did Abraham Lincoln’s Proclamation on Thanksgiving Declare?
Abraham Lincoln’s Thanksgiving proclamation called for more than celebration. It asked Americans to recognize blessings while remembering those harmed by war.
Key themes included:
- giving thanks for harvests and national blessings;
- prayer and religious thanksgiving;
- humility and penitence;
- care for widows, orphans, mourners, and sufferers;
- divine providence and spiritual reflection;
- national healing and reconciliation;
- peace, harmony, tranquility, and restoration of the Union.
Abraham Lincoln’s Thanksgiving proclamation therefore served as both a religious observance and a civic statement.
Who Wrote Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation?
Calling it Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation remains accurate because Lincoln approved, signed, and issued it under presidential authority. Seward’s authorship adds historical precision.
“Heal the Wounds of the Nation”
One of the proclamation’s most memorable ideas is its appeal to heal the nation’s wounds. The document called for care for those suffering and the restoration of peace, harmony, tranquility, and Union.
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Why Did Abraham Lincoln Make Thanksgiving a Holiday?
No single answer explains why Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving a holiday. Several motives came together.
Lincoln’s proclamation:
- encouraged a shared national day of giving thanks;
- acknowledged blessings during wartime America;
- recognized national suffering and wartime suffering;
- called for humility, prayer, and national healing;
- supported national unity during a divided era;
- reinforced an emerging national Thanksgiving tradition.
Hale’s campaign supplied momentum. State traditions supplied groundwork. The Abraham Lincoln Thanksgiving declaration gave the observance national recognition. That is why Lincoln’s decision to make Thanksgiving a holiday deserves context rather than a one-line answer.
Did Abraham Lincoln Make Thanksgiving a National Holiday?
If someone asks who made Thanksgiving a national holiday, the common answer is Abraham Lincoln, but that is incomplete.
Lincoln’s 1863 Thanksgiving proclamation established the enduring annual presidential tradition. However, Lincoln did not create the holiday out of thin air. Nor did his proclamation permanently establish today’s fourth-Thursday date by federal statute.
What Lincoln Changed in 1863
The Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1863 coordinated a holiday shaped by regional, religious, and state practices. Presidents continued annual proclamations afterward, which explains why Abraham Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Day history remains central.
How Thanksgiving Became the Fourth Thursday
Lincoln chose the last Thursday of November. The modern federal date came later.
In 1941, after disagreement over Thanksgiving’s placement on the calendar, Congress passed legislation establishing the fourth Thursday of November as Thanksgiving Day. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the measure on December 26, 1941.
So, which president made Thanksgiving a permanent national holiday in 1863? Lincoln established the lasting annual practice, while Congress later fixed the modern federal date.
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Lincoln and Thanksgiving Timeline
| Date | What happened |
| 1789 | George Washington proclaimed November 26 a national day of thanksgiving and prayer. |
| 1827 | Sarah Josepha Hale began publishing support for a national Thanksgiving. |
| 1846 | Hale expanded her letter-writing campaign for a fixed national observance. |
| July 15, 1863 | Lincoln proclaimed August 6 a national day of thanksgiving, praise, and prayer. |
| September 28, 1863 | Hale wrote Lincoln requesting a national Thanksgiving. |
| October 3, 1863 | Lincoln issued the Thanksgiving proclamation. |
| November 26, 1863 | Americans observed the date Lincoln designated. |
| 1941 | Federal law set Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday in November. |
Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Legacy
Abraham Lincoln’s Thanksgiving legacy extends beyond one proclamation. The 1863 declaration helped turn scattered observances into an enduring national tradition.
It captured the moral complexity of wartime America. Gratitude did not erase suffering, and national celebration did not erase a divided nation. Instead, the proclamation placed collective gratitude beside national responsibility.
The document belongs to political, federal, Union, and American cultural history. It shows how presidential leadership can influence civic tradition without creating it alone.
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Explore Abraham Lincoln History in Springfield, Illinois
Visitors can explore the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, the Old State Capitol, Lincoln Home National Historic Site, and other destinations tied to Lincoln’s life and presidential legacy.
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State House Inn offers renovated accommodations, a complimentary hot breakfast, free parking, free Wi-Fi, a fitness center, pet-friendly rooms, and meeting spaces for travelers of all types.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Lincoln and Thanksgiving
Who declared Thanksgiving a national holiday?
Lincoln’s 1863 proclamation established the enduring annual national observance. George Washington had issued a national thanksgiving proclamation in 1789, while Congress fixed the modern federal date in 1941.
Which president declared Thanksgiving Day a national holiday?
President Abraham Lincoln issued the famous 1863 proclamation that helped continue the national tradition. The legal fourth-Thursday federal date came through Congress in 1941.
When did Abraham Lincoln declare Thanksgiving a national holiday?
Lincoln issued his famous proclamation on October 3, 1863. He designated the last Thursday of November, November 26, that year.
Who lobbied Abraham Lincoln to proclaim Thanksgiving a national holiday?
Sarah Josepha Hale did. In her September 28, 1863, letter, she asked Lincoln to support a fixed national Thanksgiving after decades of editorial and letter-writing advocacy.
Did Abraham Lincoln invent Thanksgiving?
No. Thanksgiving customs existed long before Lincoln. His 1863 proclamation helped create the continuing nationwide annual pattern.
Who came up with Thanksgiving?
No single person created Thanksgiving. Indigenous histories, colonial practices, religious traditions, state observances, presidential proclamations, Hale’s campaign, and federal legislation all contributed to its development.
Was Thanksgiving celebrated during the Civil War?
Yes. Thanksgiving observances occurred during the Civil War, and Lincoln issued several wartime proclamations of thanksgiving.
Did Lincoln write the proclamation himself?
No. Secretary of State William H. Seward drafted the October 1863 proclamation. Lincoln issued and signed it as president.
Conclusion: Lincoln and Thanksgiving Still Matter
The story of Thanksgiving and Abraham Lincoln matters most when the details stay accurate. Lincoln did not invent Thanksgiving, and Hale did not create it alone. Washington, state traditions, religious customs, presidential authority, and federal action all shaped the holiday.
What made 1863 different was continuity. Lincoln’s Thanksgiving proclamation encouraged a shared national observance during a devastating conflict, and presidents continued the annual tradition afterward.
Its message still stands out: gratitude beside grief, prayer beside public duty, and hope for national unity while the Union remained at war.
For travelers who want to explore that history where Lincoln lived and worked, State House Inn | Best Hotel in Springfield, IL offers a clear connection between history and place. State House Inn is a hotel in downtown Springfield, not a museum or government building. Its location near the Illinois State Capitol and major Lincoln attractions makes it a convenient base for discovering the city.
Choose State House Inn for your Springfield stay and experience Lincoln history from a comfortable downtown hotel close to the places that preserve his legacy.
