United States president Abraham Lincoln, following the precedent of a number of states, designated a national Thanksgiving Day in 1863.
Top Tours
Veronica & Keith's Handmade Chic - Alexis' Modern Glass House
- Matt & Betsy's Color-Inspired Coach House
- Alec & David's Love in Hell's Kitchen
- Erin & Rob's Lots of Books in One Very Long Room
Before & After: A Bathroom Goes From Pinky Peach to Sleek and Chic
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Hunslet Dinner Plate
A Beginner's Guide to Superb Stir-Fry: Quick, Healthy Meals from a Wok
Easy Pitcher Cocktail Recipe: Strawberry Basil Margaritas
Comments (8)
Even though I am not a Rah-Rah America type, why do I always fall for those Norman Rockwell images. Awww, gee. I am from Boston, land of the Pilgrim. Have a great Thanksgiving!
Happy Turkey day!
Nuthin' says Thanksgiving like putting on the "good" shorts and slapping a turkey on the gas grill.
I'm thankful for....
good health, roof over my head, loving family, supportive friends, laughter, enough resources to pay for what I enjoy doing in life, including paying for the laptop and internet connection that links me with communities such as AT, and enough leisure time to enjoy all of your posts. :)
Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
Actually President Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday to celebrate the fall of Natchez, Mississippi I believe. He needed the Union forces to win a decisive battle to boost his chance for re-election.
Soooo.... after $1,200 worth of root canal two weeks ago that failed, I had a tooth pulled this week, and got a bone graft and titanium post implanted ... to the tune of $3,000. (The crown will be at least another $2,000.) I woke up sick as a dog on Thursday, with a fever of 102. When I got up last night to get a glass or water in the middle of the night, I collapsed on the floor ... twice; once in the hallway, and again in the kitchen, actually holding the glass of water. (I am completely black & blue on one side, from the stacked cartons and baskets that I fell on and crushed.) So ... what am I thankful for this weekend? That the glass didn't break. That it's just a tooth and not an arm or a leg. That it's just money I'll have to earn and pay off over the next six months or so; I didn't lose my entire house in a hurricane. That I have wonderful neighbors who bring me ginger ale and chicken and ice cream.
Omigoodness, Jane! After hearing that story, *I'm* thankful you have neighbors to bring you ginger ale and ice cream.
Get well swiftly!
Just FYI, there is no primary source for Plymouth Rock (so it may not have existed, since the only sources are second hand). Also, that location was actually their second attempt at a settlement after a disastrous encounter with the Native Americans. The History Channel had a great hours long program on the "untold story" of the Mayflower last weekend.
Thanksgiving was often used as a celebration for successful battles, and different states had it on different days in November for a long time. It was generally the LAST Thursday in November until FDR moved it up a week to extend the shopping season because of the Depression. Even then many states still stuck to the last day in November.