SARAH HALE HOW THANKSGIVING BECAME A NATIONAL HOLIDAY
Thanksgiving is one of the most popular holidays celebrated throughout the United States. One of the first documented Thanksgiving celebrations took place in 1621 when Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared a feast together. But the banquet, which celebrated the colonists’ first successful harvest, wasn’t just one large meal, nor did it last for only one day; in fact, the feast lasted for three days.
a national holiday, hoping that it would help heal the wounds of the country.
Lincoln decided that the holiday would take place on the last Thursday of November. It was celebrated on that day until 1939, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving a week earlier in the hopes of increasing retail sales during the Great Depression. However, this plan was very unpopular, and in 1941, the president reluctantly signed a bill making Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday in November. Without the efforts of Sarah Hale, we might not have the pleasure of the Thanksgiving feast we know and love to this day. This year, give thanks for family, good food, and the resolve of one woman who recognized the importance of Thanksgiving as a national holiday.
In later years, Thanksgiving also lasted for longer than a single meal. During the time of the American Revolution, the Continental Congress chose several days throughout the year to celebrate giving thanks. Then, in 1789, George Washington made the U.S. national government’s first Thanksgiving proclamation. He used this to speak to his fellow American citizens about the Revolution’s satisfactory conclusion and encouraged them to show their thanks for the freedoms they gained. Thanksgiving became a national holiday more than 200 years after its first celebration. It gained this status largely due to the
persistence of a woman named Sarah Josepha Hale. Hale was a successful magazine editor, prolific writer of novels and poems, and author of the famous nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” which was first published in her 1830 collection entitled “Poems for Our Children.” In 1827, Hale began a campaign to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. For the next 36 years, she wrote numerous editorials and countless letters to state and federal officials expressing her desire that it gain official status. In 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln finally declared it
SPICY, CREAMY SWEET POTATOES
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW!
HOLIDAY FESTIVITIES: Next month, we will be hosting our fourth annual Christmas party here at the office on Dec. 14 from 4–6 p.m. Bring the kids so they can play some entertaining games, eat delicious holiday treats, and even visit with Santa! Families will be sent an email with at least one picture of each kid, but feel free to bring your own camera to snap pictures as well. This event is free and open to the public!
INGREDIENTS
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5 pounds sweet potatoes
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1/2 cup dark brown sugar
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1 cup canned coconut milk
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4 tablespoons unsalted butter
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1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
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1 tablespoon kosher salt
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 375 F. On a large sheet pan, bake potatoes until very soft, approximately 75 minutes. 2. Let potatoes cool until they are safe to handle, then peel and mash. 3. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine coconut milk and curry paste. Once mixed, add the mixture, salt, half the sugar, and half the butter to potatoes. 4. 30 minutes before serving, heat oven to 425 F. Spread potatoes in a baking dish, cover with foil, and bake for 20 minutes. 5. Uncover potatoes and dot with remaining butter and sugar. Broil until brown, crusty and delicious. Serve hot.
HOW BIG IS YOUR BRAIN? Be sure to like Anderson Dental Care on Facebook so you can play Tuesday Trivia. Here’s how it works: We will post one trivia question each Tuesday, and you can answer it by commenting on the post. Everyone who comments is entered in the random drawing for a $25 e-gift card.
Inspired by The New York Times
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