Sarah Hale How Thanksgiving Became a National Holiday
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 a national holiday, hoping that it would help heal the wounds of the country.
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 andWampanoag 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. 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, GeorgeWashington made the U.S. national government’s first Thanksgiving proclamation. He used this to speak to his fellowAmerican citizens about the Revolution’s satisfactory conclusion and encouraged them to show their thanks for the freedoms they gained.
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 makingThanksgiving the fourthThursday in November. Without the efforts of Sarah Hale, we might not have the pleasure of theThanksgiving 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.
Lincoln decided that the holiday would take place on the last Thursday of November. It was
SPICY, CREAMY SWEET POTATOES
INGREDIENTS
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1/2 cup dark brown sugar 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 tablespoon kosher salt
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5 pounds sweet potatoes 1 cup canned coconut milk
1 tablespoonThai red curry paste
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DIRECTIONS
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
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
remaining butter and sugar. Broil until brown, crusty, and delicious. Serve hot.
Inspired byThe NewYorkTimes
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