While Thanksgiving has become a well-established American tradition, many people may not realize that it wasn’t always a national holiday. That changed in 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation during the heart of the Civil War, calling on Americans to observe a national day of Thanksgiving on the last Thursday of November. This historic act laid the foundation for the holiday as we know it today.
Lincoln’s proclamation came at a time of deep division and suffering. Yet, he noted the many blessings still enjoyed by the nation: peace with foreign powers, growing industry and agriculture, and an Continue Reading →














