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Article: Thanksgiving observed in midst of war.(Saturday)(The Civil War)
- Article from:
- The Washington Times (Washington, DC)
- Article date:
- November 20, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 News World Communications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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In 1836, a widow in Newport, N.H., Sarah Josepha Hale, wrote an anti-slavery novel titled "Northwood; or Life North and South." One chapter was devoted to a description of how she thought Thanksgiving Day should be observed and also be declared a national holiday. She began a letter-writing campaign in 1846, urging the governors of the states to proclaim the last Thursday in November as such a holiday.
By the following year, her campaign to make Thanksgiving an official yearly celebration was producing results. In 1847, Gov. Thomas Drew of Arkansas proclaimed Dec. 9 as the first Thanksgiving Day in his state. Newspapers throughout the state reprinted his ...