The exact words
“The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies.”Abraham Lincoln, Proclamation of Thanksgiving, October 3, 1863 (drafted by Secretary of State William H. Seward)
✓ VerifiedFound in a primary source: the original book, speech transcript, letter or recording.
What people get wrong
Common reading
Thanksgiving has been a national holiday since the Pilgrims.
Thanksgiving has been a national holiday since the Pilgrims.
Closer to the original
Earlier presidents declared one-off days of thanksgiving, and states set their own dates. The yearly national holiday began with this 1863 proclamation, issued during the deadliest war in American history.
Earlier presidents declared one-off days of thanksgiving, and states set their own dates. The yearly national holiday began with this 1863 proclamation, issued during the deadliest war in American history.
Timeline
- 1827–1863The magazine editor Sarah Josepha Hale campaigns for decades for a single national Thanksgiving Day, writing to governors and presidents.
- July 1863Union victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg turn the tide of the Civil War.
- October 3, 1863Lincoln proclaims the last Thursday of November a national day of “Thanksgiving and Praise.” Every president since has issued a Thanksgiving proclamation.
- 1864A letter from Lincoln's secretary John Nicolay records that the text was written by Secretary of State William Seward, in his own handwriting.
Use it in a speech
In 1863, in the middle of a civil war, Abraham Lincoln asked the country to give thanks for fruitful fields and healthful skies. If they could find things to be grateful for that year, we can find plenty at this table.
~12 secondsto say aloud
Pauseafter “healthful skies”
Best spotbefore grace or the meal
Lincoln's 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation opens with “fruitful fields and healthful skies,” a strikingly peaceful image for a nation at war with itself.
~8 secondsto say aloud
Pausenone needed in writing
Best spotopening sentence
Questions people ask
When did Lincoln make Thanksgiving a national holiday?
On October 3, 1863, when he proclaimed the last Thursday of November a national day of Thanksgiving.
Did Lincoln write the Thanksgiving Proclamation?
It was issued in his name, but according to his secretary John Nicolay the text was written by Secretary of State William Seward.
Who persuaded Lincoln?
Sarah Josepha Hale, the editor of Godey's Lady's Book, had campaigned for a national Thanksgiving for years and wrote to Lincoln in 1863.
Cite this quote
These cite the original source directly, so you can use them in an essay or paper. Always check your teacher's required style.
MLALincoln, Abraham. “Proclamation of Thanksgiving.” October 3, 1863. www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/thanks.htm.
APALincoln, A. (1863). Proclamation of Thanksgiving [Speech]. https://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/thanks.htm
CHICAGOAbraham Lincoln, “Proclamation of Thanksgiving,” October 3, 1863.
IN TEXT (APA)(Lincoln, 1863)