Topic: Sarah Josepha Hale

A deconstruction of Thanksgiving origins challenges the traditional pilgrim narrative, attributing the modern holiday to an 1863 proclamation by Abraham Lincoln influenced by magazine editor Sarah Josepha Hale. The history of the presidential turkey pardon is traced from Harry Truman's grain conservation efforts to the formal tradition established by George H.W. Bush in 1989. Mention is made of John F. Kennedy's 1963 informal sparing of a turkey just days before his assassination.

A historical retrospective via the Chicago History Museum details the evolution of Thanksgiving from the 1621 Plymouth harvest to George Washington's 1789 proclamation. The discussion highlights Sarah Josepha Hale's lobbying efforts and Abraham Lincoln's 1863 proclamation during the Civil War. Dvorak notes that Franklin D. Roosevelt attempted to move the holiday in 1939 to extend the Christmas shopping season, a move mockingly dubbed "Franksgiving."