National Thanksgiving Day

Before 1863, Thanksgiving Day had been celebrated only by some of the States of America, and at various times of the year ranging from anywhere between October and January. It was the relentless campaigning by one woman and her letters to five Presidents of the United States that finally brought about a National Thanksgiving Day to be celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November.

Sarah Josepha Hale was born in Newport, Hampshire on October 24th, 1788. She was to pattern her life around the publication of a magazine known as Godey's Lady's Book, a publication which advocated advanced education for women, conducted departments devoted to fashion and domestic problems and exerted a marked influence on the life of the times.

Sarah was widowed at the age of 34 and with five children to support  she began writing to earn a living. In 1837, she became editor of Godey's Lady's Book, the first magazine publication of its type aimed at women. Under her editorship it had a readership of 150,000 and became an American institution.

One of her great desires was a plan to make Thanksgiving Day, then observed individually by some of the states, a national holiday. For seventeen years in Godey's books she actively campaigned for a national Thanksgiving day.

 In 1863 she arrived at the White House in Washington to meet with President Abraham Lincoln convinced of the tremendous importance of the case she had come to plead. She believed that if 23 million Americans within their hearts could give thanks at the same time for their blessings they had received it might have been a great factor in averting the disunion. 

In her words, "There is no greater bond than the people rejoicing together over a common good and America has so much to be thankful for." Sarah believed a National Thanksgiving Day would create a renewed pledge of love and loyalty.

Sarah Josepha Hale and her Godey's Lady's Book succeeded in their campaign and convinced President Abraham Lincoln to issue proclamation for a national Thanksgiving Day.

You can listen to the whole story of this inspiring woman, Sarah Josepha Hale on the Cavalcade of America and for many other shows from the golden age of radio relating to Thanksgiving Day click here.

Happy Thanksgiving Day!