It was not until 1941, that congress declared Thanksgiving as a national holiday. It was declared to be the fourth Thursday in November.
Thomas Jefferson thought the concept of Thanksgiving was "the most ridiculous idea I’ve ever heard."
Sarah Josepha Hale (shown above) is credited as the person most responsible for making Thanksgiving a national holiday in the United States. She also authored "Mary Had A Little Lamb"
In October of 1777 all 13 colonies celebrated Thanksgiving for the first time; however it was a one-time affair commemorating a victory over the British at Saratoga.
Benjamin Franklin, who proposed the turkey as the official United States' bird, was not happy when the bald eagle was chosen instead. In a letter to his daughter, Franklin referring to the eagle's "bad moral character," said: "For my own part I wish the Eagle had not been chosen the representative of our country" and "For in Truth, the Turk'y is in comparison a much more respectable bird and withal a true original native of America".
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
