So maybe you know that Abraham Lincoln issued the first presidential
Thanksgiving proclamation in October 1863, when the outcome of the Civil
War and his re-election remained very much in doubt. Whether or not you
know the official origins of the Thanksgiving holiday, take a minute to
appreciate this selection from
Lincoln's vivid words:
The year that is drawing towards its close, has been
filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To
these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to
forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which
are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and
soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever
watchful providence of Almighty God. . . . No human counsel hath devised
nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the
gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger
for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me
fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully
acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American
People.
However, you probably know less than you think about the true origins
of Thanksgiving, whether celebrated by the Pilgrims and Native
Americans or codified by presidential proclamation. For example, do you
know that Thanksgiving was not formally connected to the Pilgrims until
the 1930s? President Herbert Hoover said, "We approach the season when,
according to custom dating from the garnering of the first harvest by
our forefathers in the New World, a day is set apart to give thanks even
amid hardships to Almighty God for our temporal and spiritual
blessings."
And today we often lament the commercialization of Thanksgiving,
especially as Black Friday specials creep back into Thursday. But did
you know that in the middle of the Great Depression, President Franklin
Roosevelt temporarily moved Thanksgiving forward one week to make the
Christmas shopping season longer and bolster the nation's struggling
retailers? Turns out consumerism is a durable American tradition, too.
by Collin Hansen serves as editorial director for The Gospel Coalition. He is the co-author of A God-Sized Vision: Revival Stories That Stretch and Stir. He and his wife belong to Redeemer Community Church in Birmingham, Alabama, and he serves on the advisory board of Beeson Divinity School. You can follow him on Twitter.
