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President Lincoln’s “Proclamation of Thanksgiving”

President Abraham Lincoln issued a “Proclamation of Thanksgiving” on October 3, 1863, 74 years to the day after President George Washington issued his own Thanksgiving proclamation. Prior to Lincoln’s proclamation, each state would mark their own Thanksgiving commemoration.

The country was still deep in deep conflict, American against American in civil war.

It was a letter to President Lincoln from Sarah Josepha Hale, editor of the Godey’s Lady’s Book magazine, that inspired Lincoln to officially designate the fourth Thursday of each November as a national day of thanks. Hale insisted that the public had increasing interest in a unified national holiday and that if it was given official sanction it would “…become permanently, an American custom and institution.”

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Published by Dean Forman

I am co-founder and CEO of the John Adams Academies, an institution that is perhaps the most unique charter school system in America today. The Academies’ curriculum is designed to give its students an American Classical Leadership Education®. This is an education that pursues truth, beauty and goodness and turns its scholars outward in search of those whom they can serve in becoming servant leaders. This website is dedicated to sharing the concepts of an American Classical Leadership Education with its readers so that more citizens can benefit from the truth, virtue and wisdom of the past. The thoughts and opinions I share on this page are my personal views.

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