Sarah Josepha Hale: The Woman Who Made Thanksgiving a National Holiday" - Part 1 of Our Thanksgiving Series On October 3, 1863, as the Civil War raged across a divided nation, President Abraham Lincoln took a moment to focus on gratitude. With the stroke of a pen, he established Thanksgiving as a national holiday, fulfilling a dream that one determined woman had pursued for nearly two decades. The story of how Thanksgiving became a unified American celebration weaves together persistence, politics, and the power of the written word. Sarah Josepha Hale, often remembered today as the author of "Mary Had a Little Lamb," was far more than a children's poet. As the influential editor of Godey's Lady's Book, the most widely circulated magazine in pre-Civil War America, she wielded considerable cultural and political influence. Beginning in 1846, she launched what would become a 17-year campaign to make Thanksgiving a national holiday, seeing it as a way to unite an increasingly fractured nation. Hale's vision of Thanksgiving was both romantic and pragmatic. In her editorials, she painted vivid pictures of families gathered around bountiful tables, sharing not just food but also stories and traditions. She published Thanksgiving recipes, poems, and stories, helping to create the cultural touchstones we now associate with the holiday. But beneath this domestic imagery lay a shrewd understanding of how shared traditions could bind a nation together. Her campaign began during the presidency of Zachary Taylor, with carefully crafted letters arguing for a unified celebration date. Different states celebrated Thanksgiving on different days, if they celebrated it at all. Southern states often ignored the holiday, viewing it as a Northern custom with Puritan roots. Hale saw this disparity as both a practical problem and a missed opportunity for national unity. Year after year, Hale penned editorials and letters, reaching out to governors, presidents, and other influential figures. Her letters to five successive presidents - Taylor, Fillmore, Pierce, Buchanan, and finally Lincoln - show a remarkable evolution in her argument. What began as a plea for cultural unity became, during the darkening days before the Civil War, an urgent call for national preservation. The responses she received illuminate the political complexities of the era. President Fillmore expressed interest but feared setting a precedent for federal involvement in religious matters. Pierce politely declined, viewing it as a state issue. Buchanan, preoccupied with mounting sectional tensions, never formally responded. But Hale persisted, adapting her arguments to the changing national mood. Her letters to Lincoln began in 1861, just as the Civil War was starting. She wrote, "You may have observed that, for some years past, there has been an increasing interest felt in our land to have the Thanksgiving held on the same day, in all the States; it now needs National recognition and authoritative fixation, only, to become permanently, an American custom and institution." The timing of Lincoln's eventual acceptance was significant. By autumn 1863, the tide of war had shifted slightly in the Union's favor. The Battle of Gettysburg had ended in Union victory, though at a devastating cost. The president, deeply affected by the war's mounting casualties, had recently visited the Gettysburg battlefield. His decision to embrace Thanksgiving came at a moment when the nation desperately needed healing and hope. The immediate implementation of Lincoln's proclamation revealed both the power and limitations of presidential authority in 1863. While Northern states quickly adopted the designated Thursday, compliance wasn't universal. Some states maintained their traditional dates alongside the national observance, creating a period of thanksgiving rather than a single day. This flexibility actually helped the holiday take root, allowing local traditions to gradually align with the national celebration. The first nationally recognized Thanksgiving under Lincoln's proclamation occurred on November 26, 1863. Despite the ongoing war, or perhaps because of it, the response was remarkable. Military camps held special meals, with commanders making extraordinary efforts to provide turkey and traditional fixings to their troops. Home-front celebrations often included empty chairs at tables, symbolizing family members away at war, a tradition that would continue long after the conflict ended. Sarah Josepha Hale's reaction to Lincoln's proclamation was one of quiet triumph. In her editorial for Godey's Lady's Book, she wrote, "Our national thanksgiving festival will now be observed on the same day throughout the land... The influence of these gatherings will be invaluable to our national union." She continued publishing Thanksgiving-themed content, but now focused on helping Americans develop shared traditions rather than arguing for the holiday's establishment. The proclamation's impact extended beyond simply setting a date. It established a precedent for presidential thanksgiving proclamations that continues to this day. Lincoln himself would issue a second thanksgiving proclamation in 1864, maintaining the last Thursday of November timing but adapting the message to reflect the war's evolution and the nation's changing circumstances. Perhaps most significantly, Lincoln's proclamation transformed Thanksgiving from a series of scattered regional observances into a symbol of national unity. The holiday became a reminder that even in the midst of civil war, Americans shared common values and experiences. This symbolism would prove particularly powerful during the reconstruction era, as the nation struggled to rebuild not just its infrastructure but its sense of shared identity. The cultural impact of Lincoln's Thanksgiving proclamation rippled through American society in ways that would have profound implications for generations. The holiday began to develop a distinct character that blended regional traditions with newly created national customs. Northern customs, particularly those of New England, became increasingly influential in shaping the national conception of Thanksgiving, though regional variations persisted and enriched the overall tradition. Newspapers and magazines of the era, following Hale's earlier example, began publishing Thanksgiving-specific content that helped standardize the holiday's customs. The period between Lincoln's proclamation and the end of the 1860s saw an explosion of Thanksgiving-themed stories, recipes, and advice columns. These publications helped create a shared cultural vocabulary around the holiday, establishing traditions that many Americans still follow today. The economic impact was also significant. Merchants quickly recognized the commercial potential of a national holiday, beginning what would become a long tradition of Thanksgiving-related marketing and sales. Market records from the period show dramatic increases in turkey, cranberry, and pumpkin sales in the weeks leading up to the holiday. This commercialization, while criticized by some, helped cement Thanksgiving's place in American culture by creating economic incentives for its observance. Lincoln's proclamation also had an unexpected effect on American diplomacy. Foreign observers, particularly in Europe, saw the establishment of a national day of thanksgiving as a sign of American cultural maturity. French and British newspapers of the period noted how the holiday seemed to epitomize American values of home, family, and gratitude, even in the midst of civil war. This international recognition helped establish Thanksgiving as a uniquely American institution. The holiday's religious aspect evolved in interesting ways following the proclamation. While Lincoln's document maintained religious language, the holiday's implementation across diverse communities led to increasingly secular interpretations alongside religious observances. This dual nature - both sacred and secular - would become a defining characteristic of American Thanksgiving, making it accessible to citizens of all faiths while maintaining its spiritual roots. Sarah Josepha Hale's long campaign and Lincoln's subsequent proclamation created more than just a holiday - they established a framework for national celebration that would prove remarkably adaptable to changing times. The proclamation's careful balance of religious sentiment, patriotic duty, and family values provided a template that allowed Thanksgiving to evolve while maintaining its essential character. By the end of the 1860s, the success of Lincoln's Thanksgiving proclamation had become evident not just in its widespread observance, but in its power to help heal national wounds. Former Union and Confederate soldiers found themselves sharing Thanksgiving tables, using the holiday's emphasis on gratitude and reconciliation to bridge the bitter divides of war. This healing aspect of Thanksgiving would become one of Lincoln's lesser-known but most significant legacies. The establishment of Thanksgiving as a national holiday also marked a subtle but important shift in federal authority. While previous presidents had issued thanksgiving proclamations for special occasions, Lincoln's creation of an annual observance expanded the presidency's role in American cultural life. This precedent would influence future presidential interactions with American society and culture. Looking back, we can see how the convergence of Hale's persistence, Lincoln's timing, and the nation's need for unity created the perfect conditions for Thanksgiving's establishment as a national holiday. The proclamation succeeded not just because of presidential authority, but because it met a profound national need for shared tradition and common purpose. As we conclude this examination of Thanksgiving's national establishment, we can appreciate how this pivotal moment in 1863 continues to influence