What do Abraham Lincoln, the poem “Mary Had a Little Lamb”, and Thanksgiving have in common? Sarah Josepha Hale.
From Wikipedia, emphasis mine:
Hale may be the individual most responsible for making Thanksgiving a national holiday in the United States; it had previously been celebrated only in New England. Each state scheduled its own holiday, some as early as October and others as late as January; it was largely unknown in the American South. Her advocacy for the national holiday began in 1846 and lasted 17 years before it was successful. In support of the proposed national holiday, Hale wrote letters to five Presidents of the United States: Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, and Abraham Lincoln. Her initial letters failed to persuade, but the letter she wrote to Lincoln convinced him to support legislation establishing a national holiday of Thanksgiving in 1863. The new national holiday was considered a unifying day after the stress of the American Civil War.
This year I’m grateful for the determination of Sarah Josepha Hale in pushing for a national Thanksgiving holiday.
The end of the year holiday season is a special time of year, and it wouldn’t be the same without setting aside a day where we remember to be grateful.