How FDR’s Date Change Rewrote A Holiday And Tested Presidential Power

A holiday felt so fixed that few imagined it could move—until the president did exactly that. We dive into the surprising civic journey of Thanksgiving, from Sarah Josepha Hale’s decades-long campaign that convinced Abraham Lincoln to set a national day, to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1939 decision to shift the date for economic recovery—and the two-year “Franksgiving” saga that followed. What started as editorials and proclamations became a national debate over presidential power, state autonomy, business pressure, and the role of Congress in settling cultural controversy.

We unpack why Lincoln’s wartime proclamation landed when it did, how Hale used media influence and persistent outreach to governors and presidents to build consensus, and why the Great Depression turned the holiday calendar into a policy lever. The response to FDR’s change—split observances, disrupted school schedules and football games, and blistering headlines—reveals how quickly tradition collides with practicality. The story culminates in 1941, when Congress codified the fourth Thursday in November, providing legal clarity and a shared rhythm for the country on the eve of World War II.

Along the way, we reflect on how “soft” customs harden into law, why federalism can make even a feast political, and what modern rituals—like the presidential turkey pardon, formalized by George H. W. Bush in 1989—say about the power of symbolism in American civic life. If you’re curious how advocacy, executive action, and legislation weave together to shape the calendar we live by, this is your guide to the civics behind your holiday table.

Enjoying the show? Follow, rate, and share it with someone planning their menu, and tell us: should leaders protect tradition or adapt it when the moment demands change?

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Chapters

• 0:00 Setting The Stage For Thanksgiving
• 1:45 Lincoln, Hale, And A National Tradition
• 3:15 FDR Moves The Date For Recovery
• 4:59 Franksgiving Backlash And Confusion
• 6:45 Congress Makes It Law
• 7:48 Civic Lessons From A Holiday
• 8:23 The Modern Turkey Pardon
• 9:24 Closing And Holiday Sendoff

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:46

Hey everyone. Welcome back to Civics in a year, where we explore the stories that shape American civic life in ways you might not expect. Make sure you listen to yesterday's episode on presidential Thanksgiving proclamations. Today, though, we're going to talk about civic holidays and Thanksgiving. So every November, millions of Americans sit down to turkey, stuffing, football, family traditions, all centered around Thanksgiving. It feels like one of those constants in American life, right? But what if I told you that less than a century ago, Thanksgiving actually divided the nation, with some states celebrating on one Thursday and others on the next? The person behind all of that confusion? President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Today we're looking at how FDR's decision to move Thanksgiving during the Great Depression sparked a national debate about presidential power, federalism, and how even holidays are shaped by civic compromise. Thanksgiving has deep roots in American history. But for most of that history, it wasn't a fixed national holiday. President George Washington proclaimed the first National Day of Thanksgiving in 1789 to give thanks for the new constitution and the country's founding. But there wasn't consistency after that. Each president decided if or even when to issue a proclamation. It wasn't until 1863, right in the middle of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving an annual tradition. He set it for the last Thursday in November, hoping it would bring a divided nation together in gratitude. And that's how it stayed year after year, president after president, until 1939. No, Lincoln did not come to this decision entirely on his own. He was inspired by the tireless work of Sarah Josepha Hale, a writer, editor, and civic advocate who spent decades campaigning for a national Thanksgiving holiday. Hale was one of the most influential women of her time, best known for writing Mary Had a Little Lamb. Through her magazine, Godly's Lady's Book, she wrote editorials, letters, urging governors, ministers, and even five U.S. presidents to establish a common national day of thanks. It was Hale's letter to President Lincoln in 1863 that finally persuaded him to issue his Thanksgiving proclamation. Her story is an example, a powerful example, of how citizen persistence, one person using her voice through media and civic channels, can influence a national policy and tradition. Now, fast forward to 1939, the Great Depression has dragged on for a decade. President Franklin D. Roosevelt is trying every angle to boost the economy. That year, the last Thursday of November happened to fall on November 30th, which meant just 24 shopping days before Thanksgiving. Retailers, still struggling to recover, worried that a shorter holiday season would hurt sales. So a group of business leaders came to FDR with an idea. Move Thanksgiving up by one week to the second to last Thursday in November, giving shoppers more time to spend money and hopefully stimulate the economy. FDR agreed. On August 14th, 1939, he announced that Thanksgiving would be held on November 23rd instead of November 30th. And just like that, America's holiday calendar was rearranged. It might sound like a small change, but people were not happy. The reaction was swift and divided. The country refused to go along. 23 states followed Roosevelt's quote-unquote early Thanksgiving. 22 stuck with the traditional date. And a few, like Colorado and Texas, decided to celebrate both. Why not? More turkey. It was chaos. Schools had to reschedule vacations, football games were thrown off, and calendar makers were furious because suddenly their 1939 editions were wrong. The press mocked the whole thing and coined the new term Franksgiving. FDR's critics accused him of playing politics with tradition. One mayor in Massachusetts said it was unthinkable to change Thanksgiving just to help business. Some even joked that the president might try to move Christmas next. For two years, the confusion continued, with Americans celebrating Thanksgiving on different days depending on where they lived. Finally, in 1941, Congress stepped in to settle this matter once and for all. Lawmakers passed a joint resolution declaring Thanksgiving a federal holiday officially set for the fourth Thursday in November. FDR signed it into law on December 26, 1941, just weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The country was entering World War II, and the new law gave Americans a small moment of unity in times of uncertainty. So today, Thanksgiving sometimes falls on the last Thursday, sometimes the second to last, but it is always the fourth Thursday in November, thanks to that act of Congress. This quirky story about Thanksgiving actually tells us a lot about how our system works. It's a perfect example of the balance between presidential power and public tradition, and how economic pressures can even shape our national holidays. FDR did not create Thanksgiving, but his decision to move it turned a presidential tradition into federal law. That is civics in action. A reminder that even something as cozy and familiar as Thanksgiving has roots in debate, legislation, and compromise. So this Thanksgiving, as you gather with your friends or family, remember the date on your calendar once was a matter of national controversy, a story of leadership, resistance, and ultimately unity. Now, before we wrap up, there's one more presidential tradition tied to Thanksgiving, the annual turkey pardon. It's often thought as a long-standing custom, but it's actually quite new. While presidents since Lincoln have received turkeys as gifts, the first official pardon didn't come until 1989, when President George Herbert Walker Bush jokingly spared a turkey from becoming dinner, and the tradition stuck. Today, every year, the president pardons two turkeys, one official and one backup, giving them a new home on a farm or sanctuary. It's lighthearted, but it carries a civic message too. A reminder that presidential traditions, whether serious or symbolic, become part of how Americans understand their leaders and democracy. Thanks for listening to Civics in a year. If you enjoyed this, share it while you're cooking or driving or watching the parade. As always, stay curious, stay engaged. And from us here at the Center for American Civics and the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership at Arizona State University, have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.