In his first year as the first President of the United States, George Washington signed a proclamation appointing a day of ‘General Thanksgiving’. He signed it on October 3, 1789, and decreed that this day of thanksgiving would take place on Thursday, November 26 of that year.
Archiving Early America tells us:
While 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.
After 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.
The first recorded Thanksgiving observance was held on June 29, 1671 at Charlestown, Massachusetts by proclamation of the town’s governing council.
During 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.
Such a Thanksgiving Day celebration celebration was held in December of 1777 by the colonies nationwide, commemorating the surrender of British General Burgoyne at Saratoga.
In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln changed the day of Thanksgiving to the fourth Tuesday of November. In 1939, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt moved it to the third Thursday of November, to extend the Christmas shopping season and stimulate the economy. In 1941, he changed the date to the fourth Thursday of November, where it is today.
The full text of President Washington’s Proclamation of General Thanksgiving appeared in the Massachusetts Centinel of October 14, 1789. Thanks again to Archiving Early
America, you can view it in full on their site or read it below. Note the number of times God is mentioned and how it reads like a prayer. I hope that you will see fit to share it with your family on this blessed day:
WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour; and Whereas both Houfes of Congress have, by their joint committee, requefted me ‘to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLICK THANSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to eftablifh a form of government for their safety and happiness:’
NOW THEREFORE, I do recommend and affign THURSDAY, the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER next, to be devoted by the people of thefe States to the fervice of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our fincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the fignal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpofitions of His providence in the courfe and conclufion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have fince enjoyed;– for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to eftablish Conftitutions of government for our fafety and happinefs, and particularly the national one now lately instituted;– for the civil and religious liberty with which we are bleffed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffufing useful knowledge;– and, in general, for all the great and various favours which He has been pleafed to confer upon us.
And also, that we may then unite in moft humbly offering our prayers and fupplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and befeech Him to pardon our national and other tranfgreffions;– to enable us all, whether in publick or private ftations, to perform our feveral and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a bleffing to all the people by conftantly being a Government of wife, juft, and conftitutional laws, difcreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all fovereigns and nations (especially fuch as have shewn kindnefs unto us); and to blefs them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increafe of fcience among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind fuch a degree of temporal profperity as he alone knows to be beft.
GIVEN under my hand, at the city of New-York, the third day of October, in the year of our Lord, one thousand feven hundred and eighty-nine.
(signed) G. Washington
Some of us will gather together in changing circumstances, but let’s remember and be thankful for the blessings that God has bestowed on us. Let us also pray that the grace of the Holy Spirit transforms ungodly situations, whether personal or corporate.
Wherever you as an American or American-to-be are reading this, have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Churchmouse Campanologist 
7 comments
November 26, 2009 at 6:32 am
Antonella
I would love if all countries celebrated Thanksgiving to God for his providence and goodness and maybe the same day too….would show unity and love. (wishful thinking!) All nations have a lot to be grateful for except obviously some whose leaders are mass murdering their people e.g. zimbabwe etc, still the country is a beautiful country (lived there for six years of my life 1975 – 1982)
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November 26, 2009 at 9:05 am
churchmouse
What has been going on in Zimbabwe is heartbreaking and terrible. I hope things will be set aright there again one day, when the violence stops and people working together can resume farming in a productive, peaceful way.
As to Thanksgiving — Canada has a Thanksgiving Day a month before the American one. But, I don’t know if they celebrate it in the same spirit that Americans do.
I really think it has to do with the way the Plymouth Colony was run. Did you happen to see Wendell’s comment on Gabriella’s homeschooling post yesterday?
I’ll just share a few excerpts as to how this captured the imagination and spirit of colonial America:
‘The Pilgrims believed in the sufficiency of Scripture for all of faith and practice … The Pilgrims recognized that their greatest work would not be accomplished during their lifetime, but through their posterity. We recognize the same. Finally, the Pilgrims were willing to make unimaginable sacrifices for their children and the cause of Christ … Lastly (and which was not least), they had a great hope and inward zeal of laying some good foundation, or at least, in Bradford’s words, to make some way “hereunto, for the propagating and advancing the gospel of the kingdom of Christ in those remote parts of the world; yea, though they should be but even as stepping-stones unto others for the performing of so great a work.”
‘Since the early days of the great Apostolic commissions, no group has been more blessed or had a greater impact for their size than the 102 people who dreamed of being “stepping-stones unto others” in furtherance of a multi-generational family vision of victory for the Church of Jesus Christ. Though less than half of those men and women would make it through the first challenging winter in the New World, God would bless them with thirty million descendants and a spiritual heritage which served as the basis of freedom for the future United States of America…’
So, when an area is colonised for the purposes of good, such as the Plymouth Colony, it will produce good results. Although Thanksgiving is celebrated throughout the US, it remembers this specific group of people, not all of the initial colonies in the US (e.g. Virginia), where interests were commercial, divorced from the spiritual.
Therefore, I don’t think Thanksgiving would work everywhere. It really depends on the history of the country involved. Probably, as in the UK, a harvest festival service at church in October would do nicely. (The Jewish Feast of Tabernacles is another example — I have a post on this coming up on Sunday.) Not sure how many countries actually have a harvest festival?
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November 26, 2009 at 2:18 pm
Gabriella
This whole Thanksgiving thing is really interesting and very very American 🙂
Wendell’s comment describes the spirit of this feast beautifully.
Your posts stimulated me to do a bit of research – basically you’ve covered the history of the holiday but … look what I also found:
http://cantuar.blogspot.com/2009/11/catholic-origins-of-first-thanksgiving.html
This could explain why this holiday didn’t spread to the UK, even if with another name. Interesting.
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November 26, 2009 at 3:11 pm
churchmouse
So much to learn! Thank goodness for the Internet! Great contribution, Gabriella — many thanks! 🙂
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November 26, 2009 at 5:45 pm
churchmouse
Gabriella — It would have been helpful had Taylor Marshall posted reference links in his story, so that people wouldn’t have to search for themselves. 😉 I am taking the time to post now, but am in the middle of a few T-day preparations at the moment, so please check out the Workers for Jesus site in full. Good story, thanks for the tip! 🙂
More detail about SQUANTO here (following on from the story in Taylor Marshall’s link):
http://www.workersforjesus.com/f25-14.htm
Excerpts (with comments to clarify):
1/ Pilgrims arrive *after* Squanto’s ordeal
‘The Pilgrims arrived in the New World in 1620. Before they had chosen a suitable site for their settlement, it was late in December. On Christmas Day, the first work party went on shore. Houses were built, and streets were laid out.
‘The winter was an ordeal for the Pilgrims. Over 1/2 of them died before spring arrived.
‘The Pilgrims had seen Indians only at a distance. On March 16, however, a single Indian walked into the town. His name was Samoset, and he was able to speak English. His skill with the language was limited, and the Pilgrims had difficulty understanding him. Samoset left, but he returned the next day with an older Indian whose name was Squanto. This Indian had been in England and spoke the language with more skill than Samoset. Squanto’s story was remarkable.’
2/ Squanto taken from Massachusetts between 1605 – 1610 by traders.
‘ … the men had come on a trading ship.
‘Squanto spent some time with them, learning their language and helping them in their dealings with other Indians. They treated him well, even giving him clothes to wear. When they were ready to leave, they invited him along–back to England. He agreed, even though his mother begged him not to go.
‘In England he lived with the family of Charles Robbins, one of his friends on the ship. For a while, he was part of an “Indian exhibit” on a London stage.’
3/ Mr Robbins asks the (famous) Capt. John Smith to return the homesick Squanto to his people in Massachusetts, but …
‘Smith agreed to take Squanto along. The year was 1614 when Smith’s expedition sailed. There were two ships: one commanded by Smith and the other in charge of Capt. Thomas Hunt. Squanto was to help Smith for a short time, and then he would return to his village.
‘When the ships reached America, they separated. Squanto traveled with Smith, interpreting when Indians were encountered. Finally, Smith gave him permission to travel to his home.
‘On his way, Squanto encountered Hunt; and he was tricked into going on board his ship. There he was imprisoned along with 20 other young Indians. All of them were taken to Spain, where they were sold as slaves.’
4/ Squanto converts to Catholicism in Spain, where he works for friars in a monastery. Note particularly the first few words of the next passage — he seems to have been their slave:
‘After they freed him, they taught him about their religion. They were so convincing that he became a Christian. Next, they obtained passage on a ship so he could leave Spain. It was returning to England; the year was probably 1616.’
5/ Squanto returns to England and works as a servant for a John Slanie.
6/ In 1619, Squanto arrives back home after Slanie arranges passage for him.
7/ Squanto’s people all died whilst he was away — smallpox from English traders? Traders, not Pilgrims.
‘When he went to the place where his village should have been, Squanto found no trace of his family and friends. He learned that recently a “Great Sickness” had struck his people. Every one of them had died. He had crossed the Atlantic Ocean four times, only to be terribly disappointed. He was the last of his tribe. Squanto was invited to live in a nearby Wampanoag village.’
8/ Chief Massasoit introduces Squanto to the Pilgrims. 50-year treaty created between Indians and Pilgrims.
‘The chief was named Massasoit. Squanto lived there until the Indians heard about the white men who were building a town near the place where his tribe’s village used to stand. When Samoset came back from his visit to the newcomers, he asked Squanto to accompany him when he returned. The date was March 22, 1621.
‘The two spoke to the settlers for a while, and then Chief Massasoit came in for a meeting. The Pilgrims and Indians worked out an agreement that would allow the two groups to exist peacefully. This treaty was in effect for over 50 years. None of the Pilgrims was ever hurt by an Indian.
‘When the rest of the Indians left New Plymouth, Squanto decided to stay with the Pilgrims. Their food supply was rapidly being consumed. William Bradford wrote later that Squanto was a ” … special instrument sent by God for their good beyond their expectations …”‘
9/ Squanto seems to have liked the Pilgrims.
‘Without his help, there would not have been 20 acres of corn produced that year. Later he taught the women how to cook the corn.
‘Squanto also advised the Pilgrims in their relations with the Indians. He helped them make friends, acted as interpreter, guided them on trading expeditions, and gave advice on bargaining with the natives.’
10/ Squanto tries unsuccessfully to succeed Chief Massasoit and becomes his adopted tribe’s enemy.
‘Squanto remained with the Pilgrims for about 18 months. When he returned to the Wampanoag village, he tried to challenge Massasoit for leadership of the tribe. He was unsuccessful; all he managed to do was anger most of the members. After this, he was considered to be the enemy of the Wampanoag.’
11/ Squanto dies of fever, sadly, in 1622.
So, kinda different from Taylor’s abbreviated version, although I can appreciate this is a busy time of year.
I didn’t tackle the St Augustine story, although I made a veiled reference to it in my post yesterday. I am aware of it but would have to research that one further; I learned too much in Spanish class about how things went in that part of the world (not good, generally). Maybe next year. Again, Taylor provides no links or references to his story.
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November 27, 2009 at 6:34 am
Antonella
Very interesting Churchmouse………..I go through life accepting the fact that the USA celebrates Thanksgiving and not really knowing the background to it. Read Wendell’s comment and I was wondering if the “Plymouth Brethren” religion stems from the Plymouth Colony…wrote on Gab’s blog asking. Maybe you know.
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November 27, 2009 at 7:48 am
churchmouse
Thanks, Antonella! This is why I thought the Wed./Thurs. posts would be useful for many people.
You can read a short history of the Plymouth Brethren here in my Rapture post (halfway down) — no connection with Puritans, Pilgrims or Calvinists:
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