Today in History–November 26–the Library of Congress features Thanksgiving, designated by President George Washington on this date in 1789. Seventy-four years later, in 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued a Thanksgiving Proclamation that declared the last Thursday in November national Thanksgiving Day. Learn more about U.S. Thanksgiving traditions by visiting the Today in History section, then click the links below to access more primary sources, background, and teaching resources.
Thanksgiving primary source set
Tom Bober‘s Favorite Thanksgiving primary sources
Thanksgiving treasures
- By the honourable Gurdon Saltonstall, Esq; Governour of His Majesty’s Colony of Connecticut in New-England, a proclamation for a publick thanksgiving 1721
- Continental Congress, October 11, 1782, Proclamation on Thanksgiving Observation
- George Washington 1789 Thanksgiving proclamation
- Abraham Lincoln 1863 Thanksgiving proclamation
- Abraham Lincoln 1864 Thanksgiving proclamation
- State of Illinois 1904 Thanksgiving proclamation
- The Frontier Holiday: Thanksgiving
- Shall Thanksgiving Day Be an American National Festival? “Editor’s Table.” Godey’s Lady’s Book, September 1863
Thanksgiving featured Images
- A Few of the Things for Which We Are Thankful, Also Unthankful
- Home to Thanksgiving 1867 Currier & Ives lithograph
- Thanksgiving page Nov. 24, 1916
- Thanksgiving Shopping Insert 1914
- Turkeys’ morning exercise
Thanksgiving polka (song recording)
Thanksgiving: select historical newspaper articles
Turkey in the Straw Folklife Today blog May 15, 2014
Inside Adams blog
- A 1904 Vegetarian Thanksgiving Dinner November 23, 2011
- A Brief History of Pumpkin Pie in America November 20, 2017
- Civil War: Thanksgiving Foods November 26, 2013
- Candied Yams or Candied Sweet Potatoes? November 17, 2009
- A Sweet Potato History November 24, 2010
- Macy’s and the Parade November 27, 2009
- Pie•ology: A Full Filling Story November 18, 2011
- Planes, Trains but not Automobiles November 22, 2010
- Please pass the slow twitch fiber… November 24, 2009
- Thanksgiving in the News- Periodically Speaking November 25, 2014
Teaching with the Library of Congress blog posts
- Changing Images of Thanksgiving: Library of Congress Primary Sources November 18, 2012
- Inviting Students to Consider the Purpose of Presidential Proclamations January 19, 2017
- A Musical Feast for Thanksgiving Weekend November 25, 2019
- Thanksgiving and Football: A Unique American Tradition November 22, 2012
- Unmasking a Thanksgiving Tradition Through Photos and Newspapers November 19, 2015
More teaching resources
- Featured Source guided primary source analysis activities
- Thanksgiving Then & Now – a historic newspaper exercise for kindergarten
- Thanksgiving timeline
- Founders Give Thanks: Congressional proclamation issued on October 11, 1782
- Thanksgiving Remembered: stories from history
- In Celebration of Thanksgiving: The Meal, a Sermon, and a Poem
- Who Celebrated the “First Thanksgiving”?
Related resources
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