1 00:00:01,320 --> 00:00:04,280 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class, a production 2 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:14,720 Speaker 1: of iHeartRadio. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Tracy V. 3 00:00:14,840 --> 00:00:18,840 Speaker 1: Wilson and I'm Holly Fry. Here in the United States, 4 00:00:19,440 --> 00:00:23,079 Speaker 1: the Thanksgiving holiday is observed on the fourth Thursday in 5 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:26,640 Speaker 1: November every year. That was not always the case, though. 6 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:31,360 Speaker 1: Today we're going to talk about President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's 7 00:00:31,360 --> 00:00:36,240 Speaker 1: decision to move Thanksgiving earlier with the hope of helping 8 00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:39,520 Speaker 1: businesses that we're trying to recover from the Great Depression. 9 00:00:40,680 --> 00:00:43,879 Speaker 1: We are also going to talk about the intense controversy 10 00:00:43,960 --> 00:00:47,479 Speaker 1: that move caused. In keeping with the theme of the episode, 11 00:00:47,479 --> 00:00:50,360 Speaker 1: we're also putting this episode out the week before Thanksgiving. 12 00:00:50,800 --> 00:00:56,160 Speaker 1: It is earlier, just like Roosevelt's Thanksgiving was earlier. There 13 00:00:56,440 --> 00:01:01,560 Speaker 1: was some partisan bickering about this decision, and you can 14 00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:06,720 Speaker 1: make some pretty obvious comparisons to various partisan bickering over 15 00:01:06,760 --> 00:01:10,320 Speaker 1: holidays and how they have been observed in more recent years. 16 00:01:11,560 --> 00:01:14,479 Speaker 1: I really did not feel the need to belabor that 17 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:18,319 Speaker 1: point in this episode, so just feel free to use 18 00:01:18,400 --> 00:01:22,600 Speaker 1: your own imagination if you want to spend more time 19 00:01:22,760 --> 00:01:26,680 Speaker 1: on that. So instead, we're going to start by talking 20 00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:30,200 Speaker 1: about how Thanksgiving became a US holiday and how long 21 00:01:30,240 --> 00:01:32,680 Speaker 1: it took for it to be standardized as the fourth 22 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:36,840 Speaker 1: Thursday in November. Of course, cultures and peoples all around 23 00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:40,119 Speaker 1: the world have some kind of observance to express gratitude 24 00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:43,760 Speaker 1: or thanks or some kind of harvest festival involving a 25 00:01:43,760 --> 00:01:48,720 Speaker 1: traditional meal. American Thanksgiving, with the traditional menu of foods 26 00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:52,520 Speaker 1: like turkey and stuffing and cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes 27 00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:56,520 Speaker 1: or yams, has elements of both of those things. There 28 00:01:56,520 --> 00:01:59,120 Speaker 1: are a few countries besides the US that observe a 29 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:03,040 Speaker 1: similar Thanksgiving holiday, including Canada, and there are also some 30 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:06,120 Speaker 1: countries that have an official Thanksgiving holiday that is not 31 00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:10,840 Speaker 1: as focused on this kind of traditional meal, including Liberia. 32 00:02:10,880 --> 00:02:14,720 Speaker 1: Of course, indigenous peoples all over North America have also 33 00:02:14,880 --> 00:02:19,560 Speaker 1: observed harvest festivals for thousands of years. Those festivals are 34 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:23,320 Speaker 1: reflections of where people have lived and which foods they 35 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:27,880 Speaker 1: have relied on. One example is Cranberry Day, observed by 36 00:02:27,919 --> 00:02:31,880 Speaker 1: the Wampanog tribe of gay Head, Aquinna. Today, Cranberry Day 37 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:35,720 Speaker 1: takes place on the second Tuesday of October, but historically 38 00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:38,560 Speaker 1: this could take place over the course of several days, 39 00:02:38,639 --> 00:02:42,080 Speaker 1: maybe even a week as people came together for the 40 00:02:42,120 --> 00:02:47,520 Speaker 1: cranberry harvest. There's some debate about which European celebration of 41 00:02:47,520 --> 00:02:52,679 Speaker 1: Thanksgiving in North America should be recognized as the first one. 42 00:02:52,760 --> 00:02:55,160 Speaker 1: It was common for ship captains to give thanks at 43 00:02:55,160 --> 00:02:57,800 Speaker 1: the end of a voyage, but these were often just 44 00:02:57,880 --> 00:03:02,960 Speaker 1: simple prayers and not bil elaborate feasts. The first Europeans 45 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:05,800 Speaker 1: in North America to combine giving thanks with a feast 46 00:03:05,960 --> 00:03:09,520 Speaker 1: may have been Francisco Vesquez de Coronado's force, when they 47 00:03:09,600 --> 00:03:12,400 Speaker 1: held a feast of prayer and thanksgiving in Palo Duro 48 00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:16,760 Speaker 1: Canyon in what's now Texas in fifteen forty one. The 49 00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:20,280 Speaker 1: first feast of thanks among English speakers in North America 50 00:03:20,720 --> 00:03:23,880 Speaker 1: may have been in Popham Colony in what's now Maine 51 00:03:23,919 --> 00:03:28,160 Speaker 1: in sixteen oh seven. There were lots of other feasts 52 00:03:28,240 --> 00:03:31,600 Speaker 1: and observances for giving thanks in North America in the 53 00:03:31,639 --> 00:03:35,640 Speaker 1: sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, but the one that most people 54 00:03:35,680 --> 00:03:39,480 Speaker 1: think of as the first Thanksgiving took place in sixteen 55 00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:43,720 Speaker 1: twenty one in Plymouth, Massachusetts. There were at least fifty 56 00:03:43,720 --> 00:03:46,560 Speaker 1: two English people there, known as the Pilgrims, who had 57 00:03:46,640 --> 00:03:51,160 Speaker 1: arrived aboard the mayflower and at least ninety wampanog. This 58 00:03:51,400 --> 00:03:54,160 Speaker 1: celebration lasted for three days at the end of the 59 00:03:54,200 --> 00:03:59,760 Speaker 1: colonists first harvest. They did not refer to it as Thanksgiving, 60 00:04:00,160 --> 00:04:03,560 Speaker 1: and their menu was very, very different from the so 61 00:04:03,680 --> 00:04:08,480 Speaker 1: called traditional Thanksgiving meal today in the United States. But 62 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:12,680 Speaker 1: in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a highly 63 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:17,640 Speaker 1: romanticized version of this celebration became part of the Thanksgiving 64 00:04:17,720 --> 00:04:22,760 Speaker 1: holiday lore, including becoming part of children's school lessons to 65 00:04:22,960 --> 00:04:28,240 Speaker 1: reinforce ideas like community and freedom and good citizenship. This 66 00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:32,560 Speaker 1: attempt at a feel good Thanksgiving story glosses over centuries 67 00:04:32,720 --> 00:04:37,480 Speaker 1: of warfare, enslavement, and genocide in North America, and it 68 00:04:37,520 --> 00:04:41,479 Speaker 1: also wasn't really necessary to manufacture a connection between the 69 00:04:41,520 --> 00:04:46,520 Speaker 1: Thanksgiving holiday and ideals like freedom and good citizenship. Those 70 00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:49,320 Speaker 1: connections go all the way back to the first National 71 00:04:49,360 --> 00:04:53,760 Speaker 1: Thanksgiving Proclamation, which came from the Continental Congress on November one, 72 00:04:54,279 --> 00:04:58,880 Speaker 1: seventeen seventy seven. It began quote, for as much as 73 00:04:58,920 --> 00:05:02,320 Speaker 1: it is the indispense duty of all men to adore 74 00:05:02,360 --> 00:05:07,000 Speaker 1: the superintending providence of Almighty God, to acknowledge with gratitude 75 00:05:07,040 --> 00:05:10,839 Speaker 1: their obligation to him for benefits received, and to implore 76 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:14,200 Speaker 1: such farther blessings as they stand in need of. And 77 00:05:14,360 --> 00:05:17,520 Speaker 1: it having pleased Him in his abundant mercy, not only 78 00:05:17,640 --> 00:05:21,440 Speaker 1: to continue to us the innumerable bounties of His common providence, 79 00:05:21,839 --> 00:05:24,760 Speaker 1: but also to smile upon us in the prosecution of 80 00:05:24,760 --> 00:05:28,360 Speaker 1: a just and necessary war for the defense and establishment 81 00:05:28,440 --> 00:05:32,640 Speaker 1: of our unalienable rights and liberties, particularly in that he 82 00:05:32,720 --> 00:05:36,000 Speaker 1: hath been pleased in so great a measure to prosper 83 00:05:36,080 --> 00:05:39,120 Speaker 1: the means used for the support of our troops and 84 00:05:39,200 --> 00:05:42,440 Speaker 1: to crown our arms with most signal success. It is 85 00:05:42,480 --> 00:05:46,679 Speaker 1: therefore recommended to the legislative or executive powers of these 86 00:05:46,880 --> 00:05:50,440 Speaker 1: United States to set apart Thursday, the eighteenth day of 87 00:05:50,480 --> 00:05:56,039 Speaker 1: December next for solemn Thanksgiving and praise. So this obviously 88 00:05:56,240 --> 00:06:00,800 Speaker 1: was during the Revolutionary War, and that proclamation issued not 89 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:04,200 Speaker 1: long after the British defeat at the Battles of Saratoga, 90 00:06:04,640 --> 00:06:07,800 Speaker 1: so it was meant to celebrate the American victory and 91 00:06:08,040 --> 00:06:13,360 Speaker 1: thank God for God's basically endorsement of the colonial effort. 92 00:06:14,200 --> 00:06:18,360 Speaker 1: The Continental Congress issued thanksgiving proclamations for the next few 93 00:06:18,440 --> 00:06:22,160 Speaker 1: years after that, setting dates in December, and they continued 94 00:06:22,160 --> 00:06:25,760 Speaker 1: to reference the war when they issued these proclamations. The 95 00:06:25,880 --> 00:06:31,240 Speaker 1: seventeen eighty proclamation also thanked God for quote rescuing the 96 00:06:31,279 --> 00:06:34,120 Speaker 1: person of our Commander in Chief and the army from 97 00:06:34,240 --> 00:06:39,400 Speaker 1: imminent dangers at the moment when treason was ripened for execution, 98 00:06:40,360 --> 00:06:44,479 Speaker 1: that treason being Benedict Arnold conspiring to give West Point 99 00:06:44,520 --> 00:06:48,520 Speaker 1: to the British. In seventeen eighty one, after the Articles 100 00:06:48,520 --> 00:06:52,760 Speaker 1: of Confederation were ratified as the nation's first constitution, the 101 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:56,280 Speaker 1: Continental Congress became known as the Congress of the Confederation. 102 00:06:57,279 --> 00:07:00,279 Speaker 1: On October twenty sixth, just a few days after Theish 103 00:07:00,320 --> 00:07:03,200 Speaker 1: were defeated at the Battle of Yorktown, the Congress of 104 00:07:03,240 --> 00:07:07,320 Speaker 1: the Confederation proclaimed December thirteenth as a day of Thanksgiving 105 00:07:07,360 --> 00:07:11,080 Speaker 1: in prayer. In seventeen eighty two, this national day of 106 00:07:11,080 --> 00:07:15,200 Speaker 1: Thanksgiving was observed on November twenty eighth. In seventeen eighty 107 00:07:15,200 --> 00:07:18,680 Speaker 1: three it was the second Thursday in December, and in 108 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:23,679 Speaker 1: seventeen eighty four it was Tuesday, October nineteenth. That year's 109 00:07:23,720 --> 00:07:27,240 Speaker 1: proclamation acknowledged the signing of the Treaty of Paris, which 110 00:07:27,280 --> 00:07:30,840 Speaker 1: had formally ended the Revolutionary War the year before, and 111 00:07:31,240 --> 00:07:34,280 Speaker 1: the exchange of ratified versions of the treaty that had 112 00:07:34,320 --> 00:07:37,720 Speaker 1: taken place in France on May twelfth, seventeen eighty four. 113 00:07:38,880 --> 00:07:42,560 Speaker 1: With the revolutionary war over and the peace treaty signed 114 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:46,920 Speaker 1: and ratified, there were no national thanksgiving proclamations between seventeen 115 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:50,560 Speaker 1: eighty five and seventeen eighty eight, but by seventeen eighty 116 00:07:50,640 --> 00:07:53,200 Speaker 1: nine the federal government had found a new reason to 117 00:07:53,200 --> 00:07:57,360 Speaker 1: be thankful. This is the briefest of brief overviews, and 118 00:07:57,400 --> 00:07:59,040 Speaker 1: we are not going to get into all of the 119 00:07:59,120 --> 00:08:03,080 Speaker 1: various problems and debates and plans and other specifics. But 120 00:08:03,240 --> 00:08:06,720 Speaker 1: the Articles of Confederation had not worked out as a 121 00:08:06,760 --> 00:08:11,000 Speaker 1: basis for the US government long term. At first, there 122 00:08:11,000 --> 00:08:15,480 Speaker 1: were proposals to amend them, but after intense debate, a 123 00:08:15,560 --> 00:08:20,720 Speaker 1: new constitution was drafted instead, and this process involved even 124 00:08:20,840 --> 00:08:26,880 Speaker 1: more intense debate. Very broadly speaking, federalists wanted the constitution 125 00:08:27,080 --> 00:08:32,240 Speaker 1: to outline a strong central government, and anti federalists wanted 126 00:08:32,600 --> 00:08:37,880 Speaker 1: much more limited federal authority with more autonomy and localized 127 00:08:37,960 --> 00:08:43,199 Speaker 1: power for the states. These two things were the opposite, 128 00:08:43,240 --> 00:08:47,120 Speaker 1: and so it was impossible to create one document that 129 00:08:47,160 --> 00:08:51,720 Speaker 1: would equally satisfy both sides. One part of the effort 130 00:08:51,760 --> 00:08:54,920 Speaker 1: to get the Constitution ratified involved the drafting of twelve 131 00:08:54,960 --> 00:09:00,280 Speaker 1: amendments to preserve freedoms that it didn't specifically protect. Of 132 00:09:00,280 --> 00:09:03,080 Speaker 1: these twelve amendments became known as the Bill of Rights. 133 00:09:03,800 --> 00:09:06,360 Speaker 1: One of the others, which was never ratified, was about 134 00:09:06,360 --> 00:09:10,440 Speaker 1: the number of representatives. The other stated that quote, no 135 00:09:10,640 --> 00:09:14,319 Speaker 1: law varying the compensation for the services of the Senators 136 00:09:14,360 --> 00:09:18,320 Speaker 1: and Representatives shall take effect until an election of representatives 137 00:09:18,320 --> 00:09:21,640 Speaker 1: shall have intervened, and it eventually became part of the 138 00:09:21,679 --> 00:09:28,080 Speaker 1: Constitution as the twenty seventh Amendment. After still more intense debate, 139 00:09:28,559 --> 00:09:31,760 Speaker 1: Congress agreed on these twelve amendments. At the end of 140 00:09:31,800 --> 00:09:35,440 Speaker 1: its first session. On September twenty fifth, seventeen eighty nine, 141 00:09:36,280 --> 00:09:40,880 Speaker 1: Then Representative Elias Budeneau of New Jersey introduced a resolution 142 00:09:41,160 --> 00:09:44,960 Speaker 1: quote that Adjoint Committee of both Houses be directed to 143 00:09:45,080 --> 00:09:49,160 Speaker 1: wait upon the President of the United States to request 144 00:09:49,280 --> 00:09:52,000 Speaker 1: that he would recommend to the people of the United 145 00:09:52,040 --> 00:09:55,760 Speaker 1: States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be 146 00:09:55,880 --> 00:10:00,959 Speaker 1: observed by acknowledging, with grateful hearts the many ignal favors 147 00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:05,800 Speaker 1: of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity to 148 00:10:05,920 --> 00:10:10,960 Speaker 1: peaceably establish a constitution of government for their safety and happiness. 149 00:10:11,840 --> 00:10:15,559 Speaker 1: There was debate over this as well. Among other things, 150 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:18,800 Speaker 1: Thomas Tudor Tucker argued that this was none of their business. 151 00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:21,880 Speaker 1: Quote why should the president direct the people to do 152 00:10:21,960 --> 00:10:25,040 Speaker 1: what perhaps they have no mind to do. They may 153 00:10:25,080 --> 00:10:28,160 Speaker 1: not be inclined to return thanks for a constitution until 154 00:10:28,200 --> 00:10:31,880 Speaker 1: they have experienced that it promotes their safety and happiness. 155 00:10:32,200 --> 00:10:34,400 Speaker 1: We do not yet know. But they may have reason 156 00:10:34,440 --> 00:10:37,480 Speaker 1: to be dissatisfied with the effects it has already produced. 157 00:10:37,800 --> 00:10:39,760 Speaker 1: But whether this be so or not, it is a 158 00:10:39,800 --> 00:10:43,280 Speaker 1: business with which Congress have nothing to do. It is 159 00:10:43,320 --> 00:10:46,680 Speaker 1: a religious matter, and as such is prescribed to us. 160 00:10:47,160 --> 00:10:49,440 Speaker 1: If a day of Thanksgiving must take place, let it 161 00:10:49,480 --> 00:10:53,240 Speaker 1: be done by the authority of the several states. Eventually, 162 00:10:53,320 --> 00:10:56,840 Speaker 1: though both the House and the Senate agreed on this resolution, 163 00:10:57,760 --> 00:11:01,400 Speaker 1: a joint committee which included Budenou, presented it to President 164 00:11:01,440 --> 00:11:05,640 Speaker 1: George Washington on September twenty eighth. On October third, Washington 165 00:11:05,679 --> 00:11:10,240 Speaker 1: issued a proclamation naming Thursday, November twenty sixth, seventeen eighty 166 00:11:10,320 --> 00:11:14,920 Speaker 1: nine as a quote Day of Public Thanksgiving. This was 167 00:11:15,040 --> 00:11:20,280 Speaker 1: the first presidential Thanksgiving proclamation. It began quote whereas it 168 00:11:20,360 --> 00:11:23,160 Speaker 1: is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence 169 00:11:23,200 --> 00:11:26,320 Speaker 1: of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful 170 00:11:26,360 --> 00:11:30,199 Speaker 1: for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection in favor. 171 00:11:30,640 --> 00:11:33,480 Speaker 1: And whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint 172 00:11:33,520 --> 00:11:36,560 Speaker 1: Committee requested me to recommend to the people of the 173 00:11:36,679 --> 00:11:39,840 Speaker 1: United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to 174 00:11:39,880 --> 00:11:43,959 Speaker 1: be observed by acknowledging, with grateful hearts the many signal 175 00:11:44,040 --> 00:11:48,040 Speaker 1: favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity 176 00:11:48,120 --> 00:11:51,360 Speaker 1: peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety 177 00:11:51,360 --> 00:11:56,120 Speaker 1: and happiness. Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, 178 00:11:56,160 --> 00:11:59,160 Speaker 1: the twenty sixth day of November next, to be devoted 179 00:11:59,240 --> 00:12:01,480 Speaker 1: by the people of these States, to the service of 180 00:12:01,520 --> 00:12:05,200 Speaker 1: that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent author 181 00:12:05,280 --> 00:12:07,480 Speaker 1: of all the good that was, that is, or that 182 00:12:07,559 --> 00:12:10,920 Speaker 1: will be. Oh, we'll have more after a sponsor break. 183 00:12:20,559 --> 00:12:25,040 Speaker 1: After issuing his Thanksgiving proclamation in seventeen eighty nine, President 184 00:12:25,080 --> 00:12:28,480 Speaker 1: George Washington included it in a circular to the governors 185 00:12:28,520 --> 00:12:32,200 Speaker 1: of the States, along with a message quote, I do 186 00:12:32,360 --> 00:12:36,439 Speaker 1: myself the honor to enclose to your Excellency, a Proclamation 187 00:12:36,600 --> 00:12:40,199 Speaker 1: for a General Thanksgiving, which I must request the favor 188 00:12:40,520 --> 00:12:43,720 Speaker 1: of you to have published and made known in your state, 189 00:12:44,200 --> 00:12:48,560 Speaker 1: in the way and manner most agreeable to yourself. While 190 00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:52,320 Speaker 1: Thomas Tudor Tucker had expressed concerns that the President might 191 00:12:52,360 --> 00:12:55,120 Speaker 1: be directing people to do something they were not inclined 192 00:12:55,240 --> 00:12:58,679 Speaker 1: to do, generally, the whole idea of a national day 193 00:12:58,720 --> 00:13:01,960 Speaker 1: of Thanksgiving was pretty well well received. In addition to 194 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:05,439 Speaker 1: giving thanks churches and charities used it as an opportunity 195 00:13:05,480 --> 00:13:08,680 Speaker 1: to collect money and goods for the needy. But Thanksgiving 196 00:13:08,720 --> 00:13:12,360 Speaker 1: didn't become an annual holiday nationally for quite a while. 197 00:13:13,280 --> 00:13:18,040 Speaker 1: Washington's next Thanksgiving proclamation wasn't until seventeen ninety five, after 198 00:13:18,080 --> 00:13:21,160 Speaker 1: the Whiskey Rebellion. We have an episode on the Whiskey 199 00:13:21,200 --> 00:13:26,160 Speaker 1: Rebellion from back in twenty fifteen. In this proclamation, Washington 200 00:13:26,200 --> 00:13:29,240 Speaker 1: described the United States as having enjoyed a great deal 201 00:13:29,320 --> 00:13:33,800 Speaker 1: of internal tranquility. Quote the recent confirmation of that tranquility 202 00:13:33,840 --> 00:13:38,800 Speaker 1: by the suppression of an insurrection which so wantonly threatened it. Yeah, 203 00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:41,560 Speaker 1: it really comes across, as we know how life is 204 00:13:41,800 --> 00:13:46,400 Speaker 1: here is so tranquil because this rebellion was an outlier 205 00:13:47,800 --> 00:13:52,640 Speaker 1: we have now suppressed. Later Thanksgiving proclamations continued to be 206 00:13:52,679 --> 00:13:57,160 Speaker 1: connected to some kind of war or other unrest. John 207 00:13:57,200 --> 00:14:01,199 Speaker 1: Adams issued similar proclamations, although they were for days of 208 00:14:01,360 --> 00:14:05,959 Speaker 1: fasting and humiliation rather than Thanksgiving. Those are to take 209 00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:08,920 Speaker 1: place on May twenty ninth, seventeen ninety eight and April 210 00:14:08,920 --> 00:14:12,840 Speaker 1: twenty fifth, seventeen ninety nine. That was during the French 211 00:14:12,880 --> 00:14:17,320 Speaker 1: Revolutionary Wars. The United States remained neutral during most of 212 00:14:17,320 --> 00:14:20,720 Speaker 1: these wars, but also saw them as a serious threat. 213 00:14:21,320 --> 00:14:25,320 Speaker 1: In these proclamations, Adams described the United States as being 214 00:14:25,400 --> 00:14:29,520 Speaker 1: placed in a quote hazardous and afflictive situation by the 215 00:14:29,640 --> 00:14:34,480 Speaker 1: unfriendly disposition, conduct, and demands of a foreign power, and 216 00:14:34,880 --> 00:14:38,840 Speaker 1: quote held in jeopardy by the hostile designs and insidious 217 00:14:38,880 --> 00:14:43,000 Speaker 1: acts of a foreign nation. During the War of eighteen twelve, 218 00:14:43,120 --> 00:14:47,120 Speaker 1: Congress submitted a joint resolution to President James Madison to 219 00:14:47,240 --> 00:14:51,200 Speaker 1: request a day of Thanksgiving. He made his proclamation in 220 00:14:51,240 --> 00:14:55,000 Speaker 1: November of eighteen fourteen, with Thanksgiving to occur the following 221 00:14:55,120 --> 00:14:59,480 Speaker 1: January twelfth, after the war ended. He proclaimed March fourth, 222 00:14:59,520 --> 00:15:02,640 Speaker 1: eighteen fifteen, as a day quote which the people of 223 00:15:02,720 --> 00:15:06,840 Speaker 1: every religious denomination may, in their solemn assembles, unite their 224 00:15:06,880 --> 00:15:10,280 Speaker 1: hearts and their voices in a free will offering to 225 00:15:10,520 --> 00:15:14,640 Speaker 1: their heavenly benefactor of their homage of Thanksgiving and of 226 00:15:14,680 --> 00:15:21,240 Speaker 1: their songs of praise. Generally, these proclamations all referenced some 227 00:15:21,360 --> 00:15:25,480 Speaker 1: kind of God or supreme being, although without naming a 228 00:15:25,560 --> 00:15:29,400 Speaker 1: specific religion or denomination. There was kind of a general 229 00:15:29,440 --> 00:15:33,840 Speaker 1: assumption that everyone had a religion and everyone believed in God, 230 00:15:33,920 --> 00:15:36,840 Speaker 1: and that having the nation give thanks to that God 231 00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:40,800 Speaker 1: was an okay thing to do. But that connection to 232 00:15:40,960 --> 00:15:44,800 Speaker 1: religion and the holiday's Puritan roots were enough to lead 233 00:15:44,840 --> 00:15:49,400 Speaker 1: Thomas Jefferson not to issue any Thanksgiving proclamations when he 234 00:15:49,600 --> 00:15:53,600 Speaker 1: was president. That was in between John Adams and James Madison. 235 00:15:54,280 --> 00:15:57,480 Speaker 1: He had declared a day of Thanksgiving while serving as 236 00:15:57,480 --> 00:16:01,840 Speaker 1: the governor of Virginia. Though during and after all this, 237 00:16:02,440 --> 00:16:07,200 Speaker 1: various states had their own Thanksgiving holidays and observances. One 238 00:16:07,240 --> 00:16:10,880 Speaker 1: person who advocated for Thanksgiving to become an annual federal 239 00:16:10,920 --> 00:16:15,280 Speaker 1: holiday was Sarah Josepha Hale. Our episode on her Ran 240 00:16:15,320 --> 00:16:18,560 Speaker 1: as a Classic on November eighteenth, twenty twenty three, and 241 00:16:18,640 --> 00:16:22,520 Speaker 1: talks more about that. Hale started advocating for a national 242 00:16:22,560 --> 00:16:25,200 Speaker 1: holiday to be held on the last Thursday in November 243 00:16:25,240 --> 00:16:28,840 Speaker 1: in eighteen thirty seven. She saw this as something that 244 00:16:28,920 --> 00:16:32,920 Speaker 1: might hold the nation together as states became increasingly divided 245 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:37,080 Speaker 1: over the issue of slavery. That, of course, did not work, 246 00:16:37,280 --> 00:16:40,400 Speaker 1: and in eighteen sixty two, during the Civil War, US 247 00:16:40,560 --> 00:16:46,000 Speaker 1: President Abraham Lincoln and Confederate President Jefferson Davis each issued 248 00:16:46,080 --> 00:16:51,440 Speaker 1: Thanksgiving proclamations. Lincoln issued his in April, recommending that people 249 00:16:51,520 --> 00:16:55,240 Speaker 1: give thanks quote at their next weekly assemblages in their 250 00:16:55,280 --> 00:17:00,240 Speaker 1: accustomed places of public worship. Davis issued his action after 251 00:17:00,280 --> 00:17:03,360 Speaker 1: the Confederate army won the Second Battle of bull Run 252 00:17:03,480 --> 00:17:07,640 Speaker 1: also called the Battle of Second Manassas on September fourth, 253 00:17:07,920 --> 00:17:11,680 Speaker 1: with the observance of that day of Thanksgiving on September eighteen. 254 00:17:12,760 --> 00:17:17,680 Speaker 1: Lincoln made two Thanksgiving proclamations in eighteen sixty three, one 255 00:17:17,840 --> 00:17:21,359 Speaker 1: on July fifteenth, setting the day as August sixth, and 256 00:17:21,400 --> 00:17:25,320 Speaker 1: the other on October third, the anniversary of George Washington's 257 00:17:25,600 --> 00:17:29,800 Speaker 1: first Thanksgiving proclamation, setting the date as the last Thursday 258 00:17:29,800 --> 00:17:33,840 Speaker 1: in November. He designated Thanksgiving as the last Thursday in 259 00:17:33,880 --> 00:17:38,359 Speaker 1: November in eighteen sixty four as well. Lincoln was of 260 00:17:38,359 --> 00:17:42,760 Speaker 1: course assassinated in eighteen sixty five, and that year his successor, 261 00:17:42,880 --> 00:17:46,480 Speaker 1: Andrew Johnson, set the date as the first Thursday of December. 262 00:17:47,400 --> 00:17:50,280 Speaker 1: For the next few years after that, Thanksgiving took place 263 00:17:50,359 --> 00:17:53,840 Speaker 1: on the last Thursday in November, although in eighteen sixty 264 00:17:53,960 --> 00:17:58,320 Speaker 1: nine President Ulysses S. Grant set the date as November eighteenth, 265 00:17:58,480 --> 00:18:02,240 Speaker 1: which was the third Thursday. So at this point there 266 00:18:02,359 --> 00:18:06,080 Speaker 1: was only a national day of Thanksgiving if the President 267 00:18:06,240 --> 00:18:10,479 Speaker 1: issued a proclamation about it, and that happened on whatever 268 00:18:10,600 --> 00:18:14,240 Speaker 1: day the President chose. It wasn't something that was covered 269 00:18:14,280 --> 00:18:18,320 Speaker 1: under any federal law. That changed when Grant signed the 270 00:18:18,400 --> 00:18:23,480 Speaker 1: nation's first law regarding federal holidays in eighteen seventy. This 271 00:18:23,680 --> 00:18:27,520 Speaker 1: law applied to Washington, d c. And to federal workers, 272 00:18:27,640 --> 00:18:30,080 Speaker 1: but it was written to align with what was already 273 00:18:30,160 --> 00:18:33,240 Speaker 1: in place in a lot of the states. This law 274 00:18:33,359 --> 00:18:38,200 Speaker 1: designated New Year's Day, Christmas Day, and Independence Day as holidays, 275 00:18:38,359 --> 00:18:42,879 Speaker 1: along with quote any day appointed or recommended by the 276 00:18:42,920 --> 00:18:45,960 Speaker 1: President of the United States as a day of public 277 00:18:46,040 --> 00:18:52,000 Speaker 1: fasting or Thanksgiving. So Thanksgiving became a federal holiday, but 278 00:18:52,080 --> 00:18:55,240 Speaker 1: the exact day that Thanksgiving would be on was still 279 00:18:55,320 --> 00:18:58,840 Speaker 1: up to the president. Pretty soon, though, the last Thursday 280 00:18:58,880 --> 00:19:02,639 Speaker 1: in November became the traditional day. After the end of 281 00:19:02,640 --> 00:19:05,280 Speaker 1: World War One, there was some back and forth about 282 00:19:05,280 --> 00:19:09,280 Speaker 1: whether Armistice Day, observed on November eleventh, should be combined 283 00:19:09,320 --> 00:19:13,320 Speaker 1: with Thanksgiving, but there were concerns that messing with Thanksgiving 284 00:19:13,440 --> 00:19:17,560 Speaker 1: might upset people who liked that tradition. Today in the US, 285 00:19:17,640 --> 00:19:22,280 Speaker 1: November eleventh is, of course, Veterans Day. Those concerns turned 286 00:19:22,320 --> 00:19:24,840 Speaker 1: out to be well founded, which finally brings us to 287 00:19:24,960 --> 00:19:28,680 Speaker 1: Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his decision to move the date 288 00:19:28,720 --> 00:19:33,280 Speaker 1: of Thanksgiving in nineteen thirty nine. The Great Depression had 289 00:19:33,280 --> 00:19:38,720 Speaker 1: started ten years earlier. This massive economic downturn affected people 290 00:19:38,920 --> 00:19:42,720 Speaker 1: around the world, but its effects varied from place to place, 291 00:19:42,800 --> 00:19:48,880 Speaker 1: depending on each nation's economy. In general, though industrialized nations 292 00:19:48,920 --> 00:19:54,640 Speaker 1: saw huge declines in industrial production and correspondingly huge increases 293 00:19:54,720 --> 00:19:59,080 Speaker 1: in unemployment. Herbert Hoover was the US president when the 294 00:19:59,119 --> 00:20:01,680 Speaker 1: Great Depressions started, and in a lot of ways he 295 00:20:01,800 --> 00:20:06,879 Speaker 1: became the scapegoat for it. President does not have sole 296 00:20:07,119 --> 00:20:11,800 Speaker 1: control over the economy. In nineteen thirty two, Roosevelt ran 297 00:20:11,840 --> 00:20:16,320 Speaker 1: against him and won the presidential election by a landslide. 298 00:20:16,440 --> 00:20:20,359 Speaker 1: Roosevelt's first Thanksgiving in office was in nineteen thirty three, 299 00:20:20,760 --> 00:20:24,879 Speaker 1: and that year the last Thursday in November was November thirtieth, 300 00:20:25,040 --> 00:20:28,679 Speaker 1: which was also the last day of November. At the time, 301 00:20:28,760 --> 00:20:31,280 Speaker 1: there was more of a taboo around the idea of 302 00:20:31,320 --> 00:20:35,119 Speaker 1: starting Christmas retail before Thanksgiving was over than there is 303 00:20:35,200 --> 00:20:38,239 Speaker 1: today today. A lot of people complain about it, but 304 00:20:38,280 --> 00:20:41,919 Speaker 1: a lot of businesses also do it. So some people 305 00:20:41,920 --> 00:20:45,080 Speaker 1: were worried that this later than usual Thanksgiving would also 306 00:20:45,200 --> 00:20:48,679 Speaker 1: mean a later than usual start to Christmas shopping, and 307 00:20:48,800 --> 00:20:52,760 Speaker 1: that this would hurt businesses that were already struggling. But 308 00:20:52,920 --> 00:20:57,520 Speaker 1: not everyone agreed. People sent Roosevelt letters for and against 309 00:20:57,600 --> 00:21:01,800 Speaker 1: the idea of observing Thanksgiving early for the sake of businesses. 310 00:21:02,520 --> 00:21:05,720 Speaker 1: For example, the Downtown Association of Los Angeles sent a 311 00:21:05,800 --> 00:21:09,879 Speaker 1: letter on October third, nineteen thirty three, asking for Thanksgiving 312 00:21:09,880 --> 00:21:13,320 Speaker 1: to be observed on the fourth Thursday in November rather 313 00:21:13,400 --> 00:21:17,000 Speaker 1: than the last, to help businesses and increase employment and 314 00:21:17,040 --> 00:21:22,879 Speaker 1: purchasing power. But clothing manufacturer Richmond Brothers sent a telegram 315 00:21:22,920 --> 00:21:27,320 Speaker 1: on October thirteenth that argued the opposite, saying that moving 316 00:21:27,480 --> 00:21:31,200 Speaker 1: Thanksgiving would quote shorten the season and curtain the fall 317 00:21:31,359 --> 00:21:35,240 Speaker 1: business of clothes and all seasonable goods for the benefit 318 00:21:35,359 --> 00:21:40,600 Speaker 1: of novelty and small gift items. Roosevelt ultimately decided that 319 00:21:40,680 --> 00:21:43,000 Speaker 1: trying to move the date of Thanksgiving away from the 320 00:21:43,080 --> 00:21:47,840 Speaker 1: last Thursday in November would probably cause confusion, so he 321 00:21:47,920 --> 00:21:51,320 Speaker 1: didn't do it. But then in nineteen thirty nine, Thanksgiving 322 00:21:51,440 --> 00:21:55,520 Speaker 1: again fell on the last Thursday in November November thirtieth, 323 00:21:55,720 --> 00:22:00,600 Speaker 1: and FDR was still in office. This time, he made 324 00:22:00,600 --> 00:22:03,000 Speaker 1: the opposite decision to what he had done in nineteen 325 00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:07,880 Speaker 1: thirty three. On August fourteenth, nineteen thirty nine, President Franklin 326 00:22:07,920 --> 00:22:12,760 Speaker 1: Delano Roosevelt visited his boyhood summer cottage on Campobello Island 327 00:22:12,880 --> 00:22:16,880 Speaker 1: in New Brunswick, Canada. At one thirty five That afternoon, 328 00:22:16,920 --> 00:22:20,320 Speaker 1: he gave a press conference. He said that over the 329 00:22:20,359 --> 00:22:23,960 Speaker 1: previous six years he'd heard a lot of complaints about 330 00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:27,360 Speaker 1: the long stretch of time between the Labor Day holiday 331 00:22:27,560 --> 00:22:32,320 Speaker 1: and Thanksgiving and the short window between Thanksgiving and Christmas. 332 00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:36,600 Speaker 1: He noted that Thanksgiving had fallen on different days at 333 00:22:36,680 --> 00:22:39,719 Speaker 1: earlier points at history, and he said there was nothing 334 00:22:39,920 --> 00:22:44,760 Speaker 1: sacred about the last Thursday in November, so he would 335 00:22:44,800 --> 00:22:49,280 Speaker 1: be designating November twenty third not the thirtieth as a 336 00:22:49,400 --> 00:22:54,080 Speaker 1: day for general Thanksgiving that year. The response was immediate, 337 00:22:54,440 --> 00:22:57,160 Speaker 1: and with the exception of some retailers who were excited 338 00:22:57,200 --> 00:23:00,800 Speaker 1: about the extra week of Christmas shopping, most of that 339 00:23:00,880 --> 00:23:06,160 Speaker 1: response was negative. People's calendars had November thirtieth MARKENUS Thanksgiving, 340 00:23:06,320 --> 00:23:10,679 Speaker 1: and calendar manufacturers pointed out the nineteen forty calendars were 341 00:23:10,720 --> 00:23:13,919 Speaker 1: already printed, so if the President did the same thing again, 342 00:23:14,119 --> 00:23:18,160 Speaker 1: all of those calendars would already be wrong. A lot 343 00:23:18,200 --> 00:23:21,359 Speaker 1: of big football games were scheduled for Thanksgiving Day or 344 00:23:21,480 --> 00:23:25,040 Speaker 1: the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and now all of those games 345 00:23:25,040 --> 00:23:28,440 Speaker 1: were on the wrong day. One exception was the big 346 00:23:28,480 --> 00:23:32,399 Speaker 1: game between the University of California and Stanford, which was 347 00:23:32,440 --> 00:23:36,560 Speaker 1: supposed to be November twenty fifth, the Saturday before Thanksgiving, 348 00:23:37,040 --> 00:23:39,879 Speaker 1: but this change meant that it was now the Saturday after. 349 00:23:40,920 --> 00:23:44,760 Speaker 1: Schedules for these games were often set years in advance. 350 00:23:45,880 --> 00:23:50,080 Speaker 1: Various entities that had some kind of connection to Thanksgiving 351 00:23:50,280 --> 00:23:55,760 Speaker 1: or Thanksgiving preparations all had opinions. James Fraser was chairman 352 00:23:55,840 --> 00:23:58,879 Speaker 1: of the Board of Selectmen of Plymouth, Massachusetts, home of 353 00:23:58,920 --> 00:24:02,240 Speaker 1: the so called First Thanksgiving, and he said he was 354 00:24:02,320 --> 00:24:05,240 Speaker 1: going to be taking the matter before the board. Quote, 355 00:24:05,480 --> 00:24:10,359 Speaker 1: because we in Plymouth consider the day sacred. Plymouth celebrated 356 00:24:10,359 --> 00:24:13,960 Speaker 1: Thanksgiving on November thirtieth that year, to quote, save the 357 00:24:14,080 --> 00:24:19,840 Speaker 1: day from exploitation and desecration. The president of the National Poultry, 358 00:24:19,880 --> 00:24:23,200 Speaker 1: Butter and Egg Association wrote to the President to say, quote, 359 00:24:23,280 --> 00:24:27,639 Speaker 1: your contemplated change will be injurious to many producers and 360 00:24:27,720 --> 00:24:33,000 Speaker 1: disrupt marketing plans of processors and distributors. The former president 361 00:24:33,080 --> 00:24:36,200 Speaker 1: of the Rhode Island Turkey Growers Association said the date 362 00:24:36,320 --> 00:24:41,360 Speaker 1: change quote might throw Thanksgiving into warm weather and adversely 363 00:24:41,400 --> 00:24:45,360 Speaker 1: affect the final fattening and preparation of birds for market. 364 00:24:46,640 --> 00:24:49,760 Speaker 1: Other turkey producers disagreed with this, though, saying that their 365 00:24:49,800 --> 00:24:52,840 Speaker 1: fattening process started in September, so since they knew about 366 00:24:52,840 --> 00:24:56,000 Speaker 1: the change in August, it would be a non issue. 367 00:24:56,040 --> 00:24:58,600 Speaker 1: Thousands of people wrote to the president, and some of 368 00:24:58,640 --> 00:25:03,320 Speaker 1: their letters really demonstrate that wild political comparisons are really 369 00:25:03,359 --> 00:25:07,320 Speaker 1: not a new phenomenon. Robert Benson and Clara bel Void 370 00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:10,879 Speaker 1: of Groton, South Dakota, wrote on letterhead from an insurance 371 00:25:10,920 --> 00:25:15,640 Speaker 1: and real estate company and described themselves as quote representatives 372 00:25:15,720 --> 00:25:19,720 Speaker 1: of the Northwest. In their August seventeenth letter to the President. 373 00:25:19,800 --> 00:25:23,080 Speaker 1: They said, in part quote, this country is not entirely 374 00:25:23,160 --> 00:25:26,480 Speaker 1: money minded. We need a certain amount of idealism and 375 00:25:26,600 --> 00:25:29,639 Speaker 1: sentiment to keep up the morale of our people, and 376 00:25:29,800 --> 00:25:33,040 Speaker 1: you would even take that from us. After all, we 377 00:25:33,119 --> 00:25:36,040 Speaker 1: want to make this country better for our posterity, and 378 00:25:36,119 --> 00:25:38,840 Speaker 1: you must remember we are not running a Russia or 379 00:25:38,880 --> 00:25:42,600 Speaker 1: a communistic government. Between your ideas of running for a 380 00:25:42,640 --> 00:25:46,000 Speaker 1: third term and your changing dates of century old holidays, 381 00:25:46,320 --> 00:25:49,600 Speaker 1: we believe you have practically lost your popularity and the 382 00:25:49,600 --> 00:25:53,919 Speaker 1: goodwill of the people of the Northwest. I tried to 383 00:25:53,920 --> 00:25:57,200 Speaker 1: find more information about exactly who Robert Benson and clarable 384 00:25:57,480 --> 00:26:00,800 Speaker 1: Clara bell Point were, whether they were just the self 385 00:26:00,840 --> 00:26:04,199 Speaker 1: proclaimed representatives of the Northwest, or whether they had some 386 00:26:04,359 --> 00:26:07,720 Speaker 1: kind of public role. I've failed to find anything else 387 00:26:07,760 --> 00:26:12,280 Speaker 1: about them besides this letter. Meanwhile, to continue the wild 388 00:26:12,359 --> 00:26:17,440 Speaker 1: political comparisons, an Associated Press report quoted Alf Landon, who 389 00:26:17,520 --> 00:26:21,720 Speaker 1: had lost to Roosevelt in the nineteen thirty six presidential election. 390 00:26:23,040 --> 00:26:27,040 Speaker 1: Quoted Landon is saying, quote, the president's sudden attempt to 391 00:26:27,200 --> 00:26:31,400 Speaker 1: change Thanksgiving Day is another illustration of the confusion which 392 00:26:31,440 --> 00:26:36,320 Speaker 1: his impulsiveness has caused so frequently during his administration, it 393 00:26:36,400 --> 00:26:40,679 Speaker 1: is upsetting to many businesses and college programs. If the 394 00:26:40,800 --> 00:26:44,000 Speaker 1: change has any merit at all, more time should have 395 00:26:44,040 --> 00:26:48,960 Speaker 1: been taken working it out so as to assure wholehearted cooperation, 396 00:26:49,400 --> 00:26:53,560 Speaker 1: instead of springing it on an unprepared country with the 397 00:26:53,720 --> 00:26:59,000 Speaker 1: omnipotence of Hitler. On top of all those letters to 398 00:26:59,080 --> 00:27:02,440 Speaker 1: the president, there was so much public discussion around this. 399 00:27:03,000 --> 00:27:06,600 Speaker 1: As just a couple of examples. On August nineteenth, nineteen 400 00:27:06,680 --> 00:27:09,840 Speaker 1: thirty nine, the entirety of page four of the Belleville 401 00:27:09,880 --> 00:27:14,240 Speaker 1: News Democrat of Belleville, Illinois was about what day Thanksgiving 402 00:27:14,280 --> 00:27:17,800 Speaker 1: would be on. The Knoxville News Sentinel ran half a 403 00:27:17,800 --> 00:27:20,960 Speaker 1: page of reader letters on August twenty seventh and said 404 00:27:21,040 --> 00:27:25,760 Speaker 1: its readers were against this change two to one. Newspapers 405 00:27:25,880 --> 00:27:29,840 Speaker 1: continued to carry heated Thanksgiving coverage for weeks, although it 406 00:27:29,920 --> 00:27:34,120 Speaker 1: started to fall off after Germany invaded Poland on September first. 407 00:27:34,960 --> 00:27:39,320 Speaker 1: Within a day of FDR's press conference, an unnamed State 408 00:27:39,359 --> 00:27:44,199 Speaker 1: Department official, apparently trying to reassure people, had told the 409 00:27:44,240 --> 00:27:48,639 Speaker 1: Associated Press that the presidential proclamation affected only the District 410 00:27:48,720 --> 00:27:52,840 Speaker 1: of Columbia and US territories. It did not affect the 411 00:27:52,960 --> 00:27:58,720 Speaker 1: States Traditionally, state governors had issued their own Thanksgiving proclamations, 412 00:27:58,760 --> 00:28:01,960 Speaker 1: and some states had their own own laws around the holiday. 413 00:28:02,400 --> 00:28:06,119 Speaker 1: The president's proclamation had not invalidated any of that in 414 00:28:06,200 --> 00:28:09,280 Speaker 1: any previous years, and it also would not in nineteen 415 00:28:09,359 --> 00:28:14,520 Speaker 1: thirty nine. So in nineteen thirty nine, some states observed 416 00:28:14,520 --> 00:28:17,679 Speaker 1: Thanksgiving on November twenty third, following the lead of the 417 00:28:17,720 --> 00:28:21,639 Speaker 1: federal government, and some observed it on November thirtieth, the 418 00:28:21,680 --> 00:28:25,440 Speaker 1: way they'd been doing it before. Some people called November 419 00:28:25,480 --> 00:28:30,760 Speaker 1: thirtieth traditional Thanksgiving, in November twenty third early Thanksgiving, but 420 00:28:30,880 --> 00:28:35,120 Speaker 1: some of the biggest critics called it Fanksgiving. A lot 421 00:28:35,160 --> 00:28:38,320 Speaker 1: of sources framed the state by state breakdown of who 422 00:28:38,360 --> 00:28:42,880 Speaker 1: did Thanksgiving when as partisan, and there were definitely some 423 00:28:43,080 --> 00:28:48,160 Speaker 1: trends along these lines, but things were not anywhere near unanimous. 424 00:28:48,720 --> 00:28:51,760 Speaker 1: According to a Gallop poll that was released on August 425 00:28:51,840 --> 00:28:56,520 Speaker 1: twenty fifth, only twenty percent of respondents had no opinion 426 00:28:56,760 --> 00:29:00,440 Speaker 1: on the date change. Roosevelt was a Democrat, and according 427 00:29:00,440 --> 00:29:04,280 Speaker 1: to the poll, Democrats supported the move by a very 428 00:29:04,280 --> 00:29:08,800 Speaker 1: slim margin of fifty two to forty eight, while Republicans 429 00:29:08,920 --> 00:29:12,920 Speaker 1: opposed it seventy nine to twenty one. When it came 430 00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:18,560 Speaker 1: to which day governors announced for their own states observations, 431 00:29:18,600 --> 00:29:23,040 Speaker 1: things also did not fall strictly along party lines. In 432 00:29:23,160 --> 00:29:27,760 Speaker 1: nineteen thirty nine, twelve states that had Republican governors helped 433 00:29:27,800 --> 00:29:31,840 Speaker 1: observed the old Thanksgiving date, and six of them observed 434 00:29:31,880 --> 00:29:37,480 Speaker 1: the new date. One state did both. Meanwhile, eleven states 435 00:29:37,520 --> 00:29:41,520 Speaker 1: with Democratic governors observed the old date and sixteen the 436 00:29:41,640 --> 00:29:45,360 Speaker 1: new date, with two of them doing both. The three 437 00:29:45,400 --> 00:29:49,760 Speaker 1: states that decided to have two Thanksgivings were Colorado, Mississippi, 438 00:29:49,840 --> 00:29:52,920 Speaker 1: and Texas. I can get behind the two Thanksgiving plan. 439 00:29:53,640 --> 00:29:57,280 Speaker 1: Having two different Thanksgivings depending on the state caused a 440 00:29:57,320 --> 00:30:00,760 Speaker 1: lot of additional problems, like what if you in Iowa, 441 00:30:00,880 --> 00:30:04,280 Speaker 1: where Thanksgiving was on November thirtieth, but the grandparents you 442 00:30:04,320 --> 00:30:06,560 Speaker 1: were going to visit lived in Illinois, where it was 443 00:30:06,600 --> 00:30:10,400 Speaker 1: on November twenty third. This was a particular issue in 444 00:30:10,440 --> 00:30:13,680 Speaker 1: areas that were close to state lines, where children might 445 00:30:13,720 --> 00:30:16,000 Speaker 1: live in one state and go to school in the other, 446 00:30:16,280 --> 00:30:18,880 Speaker 1: or people might work in a different state from where 447 00:30:18,880 --> 00:30:23,320 Speaker 1: they lived. On October thirty first, nineteen thirty nine, after 448 00:30:23,520 --> 00:30:28,200 Speaker 1: months of criticism, Franklin Delano Roosevelt issued his Thanksgiving Proclamation 449 00:30:28,520 --> 00:30:32,560 Speaker 1: with that earlier date as planned. It did not say 450 00:30:32,560 --> 00:30:36,000 Speaker 1: anything about why he had chosen to celebrate Thanksgiving on 451 00:30:36,080 --> 00:30:38,600 Speaker 1: an earlier day, but it did reference what the nation 452 00:30:38,760 --> 00:30:41,080 Speaker 1: had been going through in the years leading up to 453 00:30:41,120 --> 00:30:44,520 Speaker 1: that quote. Our nation has gone steadily forward in the 454 00:30:44,560 --> 00:30:49,480 Speaker 1: application of democratic processes to economic and social problems. We 455 00:30:49,560 --> 00:30:53,520 Speaker 1: have faced the specters of business depression, of unemployment, and 456 00:30:53,600 --> 00:30:58,680 Speaker 1: of widespread agricultural distress, and our positive efforts to alleviate 457 00:30:58,720 --> 00:31:02,520 Speaker 1: these conditions have met with heartening results. We have also 458 00:31:02,600 --> 00:31:05,560 Speaker 1: been permitted to see the fruition of measures which we 459 00:31:05,600 --> 00:31:09,360 Speaker 1: have undertaken in the realms of health, social welfare, and 460 00:31:09,440 --> 00:31:13,480 Speaker 1: the conservation of resources. As a nation, we are deeply 461 00:31:13,520 --> 00:31:16,120 Speaker 1: grateful that, in a world of turmoil, we are at 462 00:31:16,200 --> 00:31:20,120 Speaker 1: peace with all countries, and we especially rejoice in the 463 00:31:20,240 --> 00:31:23,920 Speaker 1: strengthened bonds of our friendship with the other peoples of 464 00:31:23,960 --> 00:31:29,320 Speaker 1: the Western hemisphere. In nineteen forty, Roosevelt again proclaimed an 465 00:31:29,360 --> 00:31:34,120 Speaker 1: earlier date for Thanksgiving, this time November twenty first. That year, 466 00:31:34,240 --> 00:31:37,520 Speaker 1: thirty two states observed Thanksgiving on the twenty first, while 467 00:31:37,640 --> 00:31:41,320 Speaker 1: sixteen observed it on the twenty eighth. A Warner Bros. 468 00:31:41,400 --> 00:31:44,000 Speaker 1: Mary Melody's cartoon came out that year that showed a 469 00:31:44,040 --> 00:31:47,880 Speaker 1: calendar with Thanksgiving marked as November twenty first for Democrats 470 00:31:48,160 --> 00:31:52,200 Speaker 1: and November twenty eighth for Republicans. In nineteen forty one, 471 00:31:52,440 --> 00:31:57,040 Speaker 1: Roosevelt once again set Thanksgiving as the third Thursday in November. 472 00:31:57,560 --> 00:32:01,200 Speaker 1: That made it on the twentieth, which seems very early 473 00:32:01,280 --> 00:32:04,600 Speaker 1: to me, but by that point Congress was also working 474 00:32:04,640 --> 00:32:08,920 Speaker 1: on taking this decision out of the President's hands. After 475 00:32:08,960 --> 00:32:12,520 Speaker 1: some debate, on October sixth, nineteen forty one, the House 476 00:32:12,560 --> 00:32:15,800 Speaker 1: passed a joint resolution which read quote resolved by the 477 00:32:15,840 --> 00:32:18,640 Speaker 1: Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of 478 00:32:18,640 --> 00:32:23,240 Speaker 1: America in Congress assembled that the last Thursday in November 479 00:32:23,680 --> 00:32:26,920 Speaker 1: in each year after the year nineteen forty one be 480 00:32:27,040 --> 00:32:30,520 Speaker 1: known as Thanksgiving Day, and as hereby made a legal 481 00:32:30,600 --> 00:32:33,720 Speaker 1: public holiday to all intents and purposes, and in the 482 00:32:33,800 --> 00:32:36,760 Speaker 1: same manner as the first day of January, the twenty 483 00:32:36,800 --> 00:32:40,360 Speaker 1: second day of February, the thirtieth day of May, the 484 00:32:40,400 --> 00:32:44,640 Speaker 1: fourth day of July, the first Monday of September, the 485 00:32:44,680 --> 00:32:48,560 Speaker 1: eleventh day of November, and Christmas Day are now made 486 00:32:48,680 --> 00:32:53,160 Speaker 1: by law public holidays. The Senate passed this resolution with 487 00:32:53,240 --> 00:32:57,320 Speaker 1: an amendment specifying that the fourth Thursday in November would 488 00:32:57,360 --> 00:33:01,840 Speaker 1: be Thanksgiving Day rather than the last one. Roosevelt signed 489 00:33:01,840 --> 00:33:04,840 Speaker 1: this into law on December twenty sixth, nineteen forty one. 490 00:33:05,760 --> 00:33:08,640 Speaker 1: By that point, it didn't look like the earlier Thanksgiving 491 00:33:08,680 --> 00:33:13,160 Speaker 1: celebration had really done much to spur retail sales. This 492 00:33:13,320 --> 00:33:18,000 Speaker 1: controversy did not immediately fade from public consciousness, though. For example, 493 00:33:18,040 --> 00:33:22,040 Speaker 1: the nineteen forty two movie Holiday Inn starring Bing Crosby 494 00:33:22,120 --> 00:33:26,040 Speaker 1: and Fred Astaire, included an animated sequence in which a 495 00:33:26,080 --> 00:33:29,160 Speaker 1: turkey runs back and forth on a calendar, trying to 496 00:33:29,320 --> 00:33:32,320 Speaker 1: keep up with which date is marked as Thanksgiving Day, 497 00:33:32,400 --> 00:33:36,480 Speaker 1: either the twentieth or the twenty seventh. The turkey finally 498 00:33:36,560 --> 00:33:40,000 Speaker 1: gives up. Holiday Inn is also the movie that premiered 499 00:33:40,080 --> 00:33:44,920 Speaker 1: the Irving Berlin song White Christmas. Roosevelt's nineteen forty two 500 00:33:45,040 --> 00:33:50,800 Speaker 1: Thanksgiving Proclamation referenced the newly passed federal law. It started quote, 501 00:33:50,840 --> 00:33:53,400 Speaker 1: it is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord. 502 00:33:54,040 --> 00:33:57,080 Speaker 1: It included the entirety of the twenty third Psalm, and 503 00:33:57,160 --> 00:34:02,080 Speaker 1: it ended quote, Now, Therefore, I Franklin D. Roosevelt, President 504 00:34:02,160 --> 00:34:05,440 Speaker 1: of the United States of America, do hereby invite the 505 00:34:05,480 --> 00:34:08,480 Speaker 1: attention of the people to the Joint Resolution of Congress 506 00:34:08,800 --> 00:34:13,040 Speaker 1: approved December twenty sixth, nineteen forty one, which designates the 507 00:34:13,120 --> 00:34:16,799 Speaker 1: fourth Thursday in November of each year as Thanksgiving Day, 508 00:34:17,400 --> 00:34:21,360 Speaker 1: and I request that both Thanksgiving Day November twenty sixth, 509 00:34:21,440 --> 00:34:25,600 Speaker 1: nineteen forty two and New Year's Day January first, nineteen 510 00:34:25,680 --> 00:34:30,839 Speaker 1: forty three be observed in prayer, publicly and privately. This 511 00:34:30,960 --> 00:34:34,320 Speaker 1: new federal law still did not resolve all the conflicts 512 00:34:34,360 --> 00:34:38,480 Speaker 1: about when to have Thanksgiving, though, especially in years when 513 00:34:38,480 --> 00:34:43,080 Speaker 1: there were five Thursdays in November rather than four. The 514 00:34:43,120 --> 00:34:46,279 Speaker 1: next time that happened was in nineteen forty four, and 515 00:34:46,360 --> 00:34:50,480 Speaker 1: that year eight states observed Thanksgiving on the fifth Thursday 516 00:34:50,680 --> 00:34:53,640 Speaker 1: rather than on the fourth. The number of states doing 517 00:34:53,680 --> 00:34:57,840 Speaker 1: this dwindled over the five Thursday Novembers that followed, and 518 00:34:57,880 --> 00:35:01,320 Speaker 1: today all the states are allot with the federal law. 519 00:35:01,920 --> 00:35:05,759 Speaker 1: Presidents and governors do still issue Thanksgiving Day proclamations, though, 520 00:35:05,800 --> 00:35:08,520 Speaker 1: and you can read all the presidential ones at the 521 00:35:08,560 --> 00:35:14,360 Speaker 1: website of the Pilgrim Hall Museum. Who knew Thanksgiving was 522 00:35:14,400 --> 00:35:19,200 Speaker 1: so fraught? Who knew that changing the date of Thanksgiving 523 00:35:19,239 --> 00:35:23,520 Speaker 1: would lead to one being compared to Hitler. We should 524 00:35:23,560 --> 00:35:27,080 Speaker 1: know because that's how it works. That became a rule 525 00:35:28,080 --> 00:35:32,759 Speaker 1: on the Internet many, many decades later. Yes, do you 526 00:35:32,800 --> 00:35:36,040 Speaker 1: have listener mail that's about turkey and cranberry sauce, and 527 00:35:36,160 --> 00:35:40,640 Speaker 1: most importantly stuffing or dressing, whichever you like to call it. 528 00:35:40,640 --> 00:35:44,080 Speaker 1: It is about none of those things. It is about 529 00:35:44,760 --> 00:35:51,280 Speaker 1: a mystery that has now been solved. During hour behind 530 00:35:51,360 --> 00:35:58,160 Speaker 1: the scenes many in which we were discussing the bank robbery, 531 00:35:58,480 --> 00:36:01,440 Speaker 1: the Bank of Pennsylvania robbery of seventeen ninety eight, and 532 00:36:01,440 --> 00:36:06,400 Speaker 1: we were talking about where the key came from, and 533 00:36:06,680 --> 00:36:09,840 Speaker 1: I mentioned reading a book as a child in which 534 00:36:09,880 --> 00:36:13,080 Speaker 1: someone made a key by making an impression on a bar 535 00:36:13,120 --> 00:36:16,080 Speaker 1: of soap and then whittling it out of wood. Tanya 536 00:36:16,400 --> 00:36:19,080 Speaker 1: has left a comment on our Facebook that has said 537 00:36:19,760 --> 00:36:23,359 Speaker 1: the book mentioned by Tracy is The Great Brain at 538 00:36:23,400 --> 00:36:27,080 Speaker 1: the Academy by John Fitzgerald. His brother Tom makes a 539 00:36:27,160 --> 00:36:29,200 Speaker 1: key by pressing it into a bar of soap and 540 00:36:29,200 --> 00:36:33,440 Speaker 1: whittling a copy. Thank you, Tanya, because I remembered that 541 00:36:33,680 --> 00:36:37,719 Speaker 1: this had something in the title about a brain, and 542 00:36:37,760 --> 00:36:41,759 Speaker 1: that had led me to The Magnificent Brain, which is 543 00:36:41,840 --> 00:36:47,120 Speaker 1: a different book entirely. It had specifically led me to 544 00:36:47,280 --> 00:36:51,839 Speaker 1: the sentence the magnificent brain can cox a recipe, which 545 00:36:51,880 --> 00:36:57,239 Speaker 1: is like one chapter title of one book. Clifford B. 546 00:36:57,400 --> 00:37:01,880 Speaker 1: Hicks was a children's book author who wrote a series 547 00:37:03,360 --> 00:37:08,600 Speaker 1: about Alvin Fernauld, mostly in the nineteen sixties and seventies, 548 00:37:08,640 --> 00:37:10,880 Speaker 1: but also a little later, and one of them was 549 00:37:10,920 --> 00:37:14,040 Speaker 1: called Alvin Fernald Foreign Trader, And that is where there's 550 00:37:14,080 --> 00:37:17,160 Speaker 1: a chapter titled the Magnificent Brain can cox a recipe. 551 00:37:18,160 --> 00:37:22,560 Speaker 1: Having come up with the slightly wrong magnificent brain versus 552 00:37:22,640 --> 00:37:26,320 Speaker 1: great brain meant that I just was finding only results 553 00:37:26,360 --> 00:37:30,040 Speaker 1: that were related to something else. So thank you so much, 554 00:37:30,080 --> 00:37:34,400 Speaker 1: Tanya for solving that mystery for me. That is definitely 555 00:37:34,520 --> 00:37:37,279 Speaker 1: for sure the book that I was thinking of. If 556 00:37:37,320 --> 00:37:39,839 Speaker 1: you would like to send us a note solve any 557 00:37:39,880 --> 00:37:42,560 Speaker 1: mysteries that we've mentioned on the show recently or in 558 00:37:42,719 --> 00:37:45,960 Speaker 1: the long past, I don't know. We're at History Podcasts 559 00:37:45,960 --> 00:37:49,719 Speaker 1: at iHeartRadio dot com and you can subscribe to our 560 00:37:49,800 --> 00:37:52,880 Speaker 1: show on the iHeartRadio app or wherever else you'd like 561 00:37:52,960 --> 00:38:01,040 Speaker 1: to get your podcasts. Stuffs in History Class is a 562 00:38:01,040 --> 00:38:06,399 Speaker 1: production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio, app, 563 00:38:06,520 --> 00:38:11,560 Speaker 1: Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.