
Episode 569 • • 9:03 - 15:01
569: 23 and Plea
Thanksgiving History and the 1971 Uniform Monday Holiday Act
John C. Dvorak details the historical origins of Thanksgiving, arguing that the modern holiday was largely the creation of activist Sarah Hale in 1863 rather than a continuous tradition from the Pilgrims. He notes that Thomas Jefferson originally opposed the holiday and that it was historically used to commemorate war dead. The segment also covers the 1971 law that standardized federal holidays to Mondays and Fridays to prevent mid-week work disruptions.
