Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation influenced by Hale

On October 3, 1863, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln issued a presidential proclamation calling for a national day of Thanksgiving to be observed on the last Thursday of November.[14][15] Lincoln’s decision, made amid the Civil War, was influenced by decades of advocacy from Sarah Josepha Hale, who had long argued that a unified Thanksgiving could strengthen national bonds.[14][15]

Hale had written persistent editorials in Godey’s Lady’s Book and sent numerous letters to political leaders requesting a fixed national celebration.[14][15] In September 1863 she addressed Lincoln directly, outlining the moral and patriotic benefits of a shared day of gratitude.[14] While the proclamation did not mention her by name, contemporary and later accounts credit her as a key civilian force behind the policy.

The October 3 proclamation is historically significant because it effectively placed Thanksgiving on the federal calendar, transforming what had been scattered regional observances into a nationwide tradition.[14][15] For women’s history, it illustrates how a woman without formal office could exert lasting influence over national ritual and memory through careful use of print culture.

Lincoln’s action validated the power of Hale’s long campaign and ensured that her vision of Thanksgiving—as a domestic, religious, and civic occasion centered on home, family, and gratitude—would endure. The date stands as a milestone where the work of a woman editor helped shape an enduring American holiday.