While history recognizes President Abraham Lincoln’s Thanksgiving proclamation, many don’t know that two New Jersey statesmen persuaded President George Washington to declare the last Thursday in November “a day of thanks” across the new American nation. On October 3, 1789, the President designated Thursday, November 26, 1789, as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer. Let Mr. Local History tell you a story……
Thanksgiving Proclamation – Thank You, President of the 2nd Congress Elias Boudinot, Former New Jersey Royal Governor Francis Bernard, and President Washington!
Boudinot was president of the Continental Congress from 1782 to 1783 during the American Revolution. This position made him the presiding officer of Congress under the Articles of Confederation. However, it did not carry the same executive powers or responsibilities as the office of the U.S. President established later by the Constitution. Boudinot introduced a resolution recommending that President Washington declare a day of thanksgiving and prayer. Other members of Congress, including Roger Sherman, supported the resolution, arguing that such a day was appropriate for acknowledging divine blessings.
In 1789, while serving as a Congressman from New Jersey, Elias Boudinot proposed that the House of Representatives request President George Washington to declare a national day of thanksgiving. This was intended to express gratitude for the new Constitution and the establishment of a stable government following the American Revolution.
President Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation – 1789
In response to this resolution, George Washington issued the first presidential Thanksgiving Proclamation on October 3, 1789, designating Thursday, November 26, 1789, as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer. Washington’s proclamation called on Americans to give thanks for the successful conclusion of the Revolutionary War, the ratification of the Constitution, and other blessings.
On October 3, 1789, George Washington issued his Thanksgiving proclamation, designating for “the People of the United States a day of public thanks-giving” to be held on “Thursday the 26th day of November,” 1789, marking the first national celebration of a holiday that has become commonplace in today’s households.
Basking Ridge’s Boudinot’s advocacy laid the groundwork for Thanksgiving as a national observance, though it remained sporadic until President Abraham Lincoln institutionalized it as an annual holiday in 1863. Boudinot’s actions reflect his belief in the importance of faith and gratitude in public life.
New Jersey’s Governor Francis Bernard was Thankful as Well – 1766
Former New Jersey Royal Governor Francis Bernard, who was serving as the Royal Governor in Massachusetts at the time, on November 6, 1766, approved the Proclamation authorizing November 27, 1766, for a “General Day of pubic Thanksgiving” where no labor would be done in Massachusetts.
Modern Thanksgiving was proclaimed for all states in 1863 by Abraham Lincoln.
Happy Thanksgiving from the volunteer turkeys at the Mr. Local History Project.
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