Every year, in November, millions of Americans gather together around turkey-laden tables to celebrate Thanksgiving; a day of gratitude, family, and feasting.

And if you were to ask them how that tradition started, most would tell you a story about Pilgrims and Native Americans sharing a feast in 1621. However, few would be aware that Thanksgiving, as we know it today, exists, not because of a pack of Pilgrims, but because of one woman with a mighty mission and a powerful pen: Sarah Josepha Hale.

Who Was Sarah Hale?

In 1813, Sarah was a 25-year-old New Hampshire school teacher. Later that year, she married David Hale. Then, unfortunately, nine years and five children later, David died. 

Sarah became a 34-year-old widow who had to figure out how to make a living and raise her family on her own. This wasn’t an easy task in 1822 as jobs for ladies were few and far between. After a lot of thought, she decided that the only thing she could do was write. 

First, she published a book of poems for children (which included Mary Had a Little Lamb), next she published a novel, and finally, she landed a great job as the editor (or editress, as she liked to be called) of Godey’s Lady’s Book. This was one of the most widely read magazines of the 19th century, and that made Sarah a very influential woman.

Sarah the Influencer

She took her role as an influencer seriously and used her pen to shape American culture. One of her passion projects was making Thanksgiving a national American holiday.

So What Was Thanksgiving Like Before Sarah Took It On? 

In early Puritanical society, days of thanksgiving were called as and when needed. During hard times, such as failed crops or outbreaks of disease, the political or religious leaders would announce days of prayer and fasting. Then when the problem came to an end, they would call for a day of thanksgiving. 

These early, sporadic Thanksgiving Days were mostly for special church services. However, by the late 1600s, some New England towns had decided they didn’t need to wait for a calamity to end in order to be thankful. So they decided to establish annual or regularly-scheduled Thanksgiving Days. Then, over time, feasting was added to these celebrations.

Skip Ahead 200 Years or so to 1840… 

By this time, there were 26 states and roughly half of them held some form of Thanksgiving celebration, although they were all on different dates and weren’t on a regular schedule. Thanksgiving Days were celebrated mainly in the Northeast and parts of the Midwest. Southern states and Western territories generally didn’t bother with it at all.

Then Along Came Sarah

Sarah was a true believer in Thanksgiving. She thought the young American nation should have its own holidays, not just the ones brought over from Europe. They already had the 4^th of July, and she thought it was high time for another one. 

Americans were craving their own traditions, and many were idealizing the 1621 Pilgrim feast and began calling it the first Thanksgiving Day. 

Sarah’s Thanksgiving Campaign 

So, Sarah began her one-woman campaign to make Thanksgiving a national holiday – one that would be celebrated in every state on the very same day.

For fifteen or more years, she published articles about Thanksgiving in her widely read magazine. And, of course, the characters in her novel celebrated Thanksgiving too. Her magazine published recipes for turkey, pumpkin pie, and cranberry sauce – a feast of foods native to America – spreading her idea of a perfect Thanksgiving meal.

Through her writing, she encouraged her millions of readers to celebrate Thanksgiving along with her – all on the same day – the last Thursday of November. 

Sarah Takes It to the Top

And Sarah didn’t stop by appealing directly to her readers. No, she also wrote letters to governors and senators asking them all to celebrate their Thanksgiving Day on the last Thursday of November, so the entire country could be united in thankfulness and turkey.

Then, in 1846, she took it up a notch and went directly to the president of the United States.

She began writing to American presidents in 1848 and continued tirelessly for 15 years. She pleaded with them to make Thanksgiving Day a national holiday so the country could celebrate together on the same day… and it should be on the last Thursday of November, if you please.

Maybe it went something like this:

Finally… Lincoln Says Yes

After 15 years of being ignored by presidents, Sarah Hale’s efforts paid off. During the height of the Civil War, President Lincoln agreed with her. He thought perhaps a unified day of Thanksgiving would help unite a country torn apart by civil war.

On October 3, 1863, Lincoln issued a proclamation declaring the last Thursday of November as a national Thanksgiving Day. And thus, a holiday was born.

Why Thursday?

Did you ever wonder why Thanksgiving is on a Thursday? Sarah had always campaigned for the last Thursday of November and that’s what Lincoln went with. But why Thursday? 

It seems that it all goes back to those pesky Pilgrims and their traditions… Long before Sarah or President Lincoln chose Thursday, political and religious leaders had often held thanksgiving days on Thursdays. This was a habit rooted in the New England Pilgrims’ schedule where Thursdays were set aside for lectures or special worship.

Thursday didn’t interfere with Saturday markets or Sunday services, and people were already used to extra church gatherings then. So when Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863, he simply continued the long-standing “Thanksgiving Thursday” tradition.

Now, more than 160 years later, Thanksgiving is one of America’s favorite holidays. But without Sarah Hale, it might have remained just a scattered regional observance. 

So, this Thanksgiving, as we pass around the turkey, let’s give a thought to Sarah Hale, the woman who wouldn’t give up her dream of making Thanksgiving a real American holiday. 

What do you think about the way Sarah promoted Thanksgiving? Let me know in the comments section below. And if you want to read more of my curious histories, subscribe to my blog (at the top or bottom of this page).

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