The Daily Signal
As people across the country prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, a Doris Day quote comes to mind: “Gratitude is riches and complaint is poverty.”
The American actress and singer was right, and this week especially, each of us should take a moment to consider the unique history of this quintessential American holiday, what science says about gratitude, and how celebrating Thanksgiving can improve your life.
Thanksgiving has its roots before the Revolutionary War, of course, but it wasn’t until George Washington’s 1789 proclamation that the holiday officially became a national celebration. As with so many other things, Washington set our new republic on a solid course by encouraging all Americans to unite in setting aside Nov. 26 to render “sincere and humble thanks” to God “for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country.”
Most subsequent presidents dropped the ball on Thanksgiving, especially Thomas Jefferson, who thought it was a violation of the separation of church and state. Indeed, the holiday largely was forgotten until Abraham Lincoln revived the tradition in 1862, setting Thanksgiving Day as the fourth Thursday in November from that time forward.
When Franklin Delano Roosevelt—whose four terms in the White House reflected his fondness for breaking tradition—tried to change the date to prolong the Christmas shopping season, Congress stepped in and set Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday in November by law in 1941…
