Lincoln Center Director Discusses Lincoln's Role in America's Thanksgiving Holiday Tradition

The Lincoln's Center Executive Director, Dr. William E. Hardy, recently spoke on Abraham Lincoln's role in establishing America's Thanksgiving Holiday tradition to an enthusiastic crowd at Blount Mansion in Knoxville, Tennessee as part of the Blount Mansion Association's centennial celebration.

Dr. Hardy's talk, entitled, "Lincoln's Other Proclamation: The Origins of America's Thanksgiving Holiday Tradition" traced the roots of Thanksgiving in the United States to its "traditional" historical origins - the 1621 Pilgrim harvest feast in Plymouth Colony. However, the practice of celebrating the holiday in late November was not firmly established until the American Civil War. During his presidency, Abraham Lincoln issued several thanksgiving proclamations to help the nation cope with the tragedy of war while remaining grateful that things were not worse. However, none of these proclamations specified a single day as a national day set aside for prayer. Then, in October 1863, President Lincoln, prompted by a famed poet, novelist, and editor who had been vigorously pushing for a national Thanksgiving Day for nearly two decades, issued yet another Thanksgiving proclamation that established the modern holiday tradition.