{"data":{"description":"First Thanksgiving Observance: This historic proclamation was issued by George Washington during his first year as President. The first recorded ..","title":"The First Thanksgiving Observance","post_type":"page","content":"\u003ch2 style=\"color: #ad8431;\"\u003eA Proclamation Signed in Script Type by George Washington\r\nAppearing in The Massachusetts Centinel of October 14, 1789\u003c/h2\u003e\r\n\u003ch2 style=\"color: #ad8431;\"\u003eAbstract\u003c/h2\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eThis historic proclamation was issued by George Washington during his first year as President. It sets aside Thursday, November 26 as \"A Day of Publick Thanksgiving and Prayer.\"\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eWhile there were Thanksgiving observances in America both before and after Washington's proclamation, this represents the first to be so designated by the new national government.Signed by Washington on October 3, 1789 and entitled \"General Thanksgiving,\" the decree appointed the day \"to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God.\"\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eAfter their first harvest, the colonists of the Plymouth Plantation held a celebration of food and feasting in the fall of 1621. Indian chiefs Massassoit, Squanto and Samoset joined in the celebration with ninety of their men in the three-day event.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eThe first recorded Thanksgiving observance was held on June 29, 1671 at Charlestown, Massachusetts by proclamation of the town's governing council.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eDuring the 1700s, it was common practice for individual colonies to observe days of thanksgiving throughout each year. A Thanksgiving Day two hundred years ago was a day set aside for prayer and fasting, not a day marked by plentiful food and drink as is today's custom. Later in the 18th century each of the states periodically would designate a day of thanksgiving in honor of a military victory, an adoption of a state constitution or an exceptionally bountiful crop.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eSuch a Thanksgiving Day celebration celebration was held in December of 1777 by the colonies nationwide, commemorating the surrender of British General Burgoyne at Saratoga.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eLater, on October 3, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation calling for the observance of the fourth Tuesday of November as a national holiday.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003ca href=\"/earlyamerica/firsts/thanksgiving-proclamation/\"\u003e\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-5276 size-thumbnail\" src=\"/images/earlyamerica/Thanksgiving.jpg\" alt=\"thanksgiving proclamation\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cp\u003e First Thanksgiving Proclamation as reported in The Massachusetts Centinel, Wednesday, October 14, 1789\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eIn 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the holiday to the third Thursday of November (to extend the Christmas shopping season and boost the economy). After a storm of protest, Roosevelt changed the holiday again in 1941 to the fourth Thursday in November, where it stands today.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cul style=\"display: block; width: 400px; margin: 4px auto;\"\u003e\r\n\t\u003cli\u003e\u003ca title=\"Thanksgiving Proclamation\" href=\"/earlyamerica/firsts/thanksgiving-proclamation/\"\u003eRead the Text Version of The First Thanksgiving Proclamation\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003c/ul\u003e","menu":[{"path":"lives-early-america","title":"Famous Lives","submenu":[{"path":"lives-early-america/autobiography-benjamin-franklin","title":"Autobiography of Ben Franklin"},{"path":"lives-early-america/ramsays-life-washington","title":"Ramsay's The Life of Washington"},{"path":"lives-early-america/adventures-col-daniel-boone","title":"The Adventures of Col. Daniel Boone"},{"path":"lives-early-america/true-story-paul-revere","title":"The True Story of Paul Revere"},{"path":"world-early-america/famous-obits","title":"Famous Obits"},{"path":"portrait","title":"Portraits"},{"path":"rare-images/last-men-revolution","title":"The Last Men of the Revolution"}]},{"path":"freedom-documents","title":"Freedom Documents","submenu":[{"path":"freedom-documents/bill-rights","title":"Bill of Rights"},{"path":"freedom-documents/declaration-independence","title":"Declaration of Independence"},{"path":"freedom-documents/u-s-constitution","title":"The U.S. Constitution"}]},{"path":"world-early-america","title":"World of Early America","submenu":[{"path":"bookmarks","title":"Early American Bookmarks"},{"path":"world-early-america/famous-obits","title":"Famous Obits"},{"path":"firsts","title":"Firsts!"},{"path":"rare-images/maps","title":"Maps"},{"path":"rare-images","title":"Rare Images"},{"path":"music1","title":"Music"},{"path":"writings","title":"The Writings of Early America"}]},{"path":"boston-massacre","title":"Boston Massacre"},{"path":"milestone-events","title":"Milestones"},{"path":"early-america-review","title":"The Review"},{"path":"home/teachers-students","title":"Teachers"},{"path":"sitemap","title":"Sitemap"}]},"success":true}