Thanksgiving in 1865

Thanksgiving in 1865

The following woodcut by Winslow Homer depicts the inaugural celebration of Thanksgiving as an official national holiday in the aftermath of the Civil War. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving as a nationally recognized holiday, marking this...
Sarah Hale and Thanksgiving

Sarah Hale and Thanksgiving

While in office, Presidents George Washington, John Adams, and James Madison all proclaimed national days of Thanksgiving, but in the years that followed, the majority of these celebrations were restricted to specific states or territories. Journalist Sarah Josepha...
Thanksgiving in 1860

Thanksgiving in 1860

Winslow Homer was a cartoonist for Harper’s Weekly Magazine and would later gain renown for his illustrations during the Civil War. In 1860, however, his artwork was geared at showing the divide in America at Thanksgiving.  The social disparity in America...