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Happy Thanksgiving people. Lets do a little learning this Thanksgiving morning because god knows... you people could use a little learning. :D
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FDR Changes Thanksgiving
In 1939, the last Thursday of November was going to be November 30. Retailers complained to FDR that this only left twenty-four shopping days to Christmas and begged him to push Thanksgiving just one week earlier. It was determined that most people do their Christmas shopping after Thanksgiving and retailers hoped that with an extra week of shopping, people would buy more.
So when FDR announced his Thanksgiving Proclamation in 1939, he declared the date of Thanksgiving to be Thursday, November 23, the second-to-last Thursday of the month.
Controversy
The new date for Thanksgiving caused a lot of confusion. Calendars were now incorrect. Schools who had planned vacations and tests now had to reschedule. Thanksgiving had been a big day for football games, as it is today, so the game schedule had to be examined.
Political opponents of FDR and many others questioned the President's right to change the holiday and stressed the breaking of precedent and disregard for tradition. Many believed that changing a cherished holiday just to appease businesses was not a sufficient reason for a change. Atlantic City's mayor derogatorily called November 23 as "Franksgiving."
Two Thanksgivings in 1939?
Before 1939, the President annually announced his Thanksgiving Proclamation and then governors followed the President in officially proclaiming the same day as Thanksgiving for their state. In 1939, however, many governors did not agree with FDR's decision to change the date and thus refused to follow him. The country became split on which Thanksgiving day they should observe.
Twenty-three states followed FDR's change and declared Thanksgiving to be November 23. Twenty-three other states disagreed with FDR and kept the traditional date for Thanksgiving, November 30. Two states, Colorado and Texas, decided to honor both dates.
This idea of two Thanksgiving days split some families because not everyone had the same day off work.
Did It Work?
Though the confusion caused many frustrations across the country, the question remained as to whether the extended holiday shopping season caused people to spend more, thus helping the economy. The answer was no.
Businesses reported that the spending was approximately the same, but the distribution of the shopping was changed. For those states who celebrated the earlier Thanksgiving date, the shopping was evenly distributed throughout the season. For those states that kept the traditional date, businesses experienced a bulk of shopping in the last week before Christmas.
What Happened to Thanksgiving the Following Year?
In 1940, FDR again announced Thanksgiving to be the second-to-last Thursday of the month. This time, thirty-one states followed him with the earlier date and seventeen kept the traditional date. Confusion over two Thanksgivings continued.
Congress Fixes It
Lincoln had established the Thanksgiving holiday to bring the country together, but the confusion over the date change was tearing it apart. On December 26, 1941, Congress passed a law declaring that Thanksgiving would occur every year on the fourth Thursday of November.
Now you know.....
.................................................. .
FDR Changes Thanksgiving
In 1939, the last Thursday of November was going to be November 30. Retailers complained to FDR that this only left twenty-four shopping days to Christmas and begged him to push Thanksgiving just one week earlier. It was determined that most people do their Christmas shopping after Thanksgiving and retailers hoped that with an extra week of shopping, people would buy more.
So when FDR announced his Thanksgiving Proclamation in 1939, he declared the date of Thanksgiving to be Thursday, November 23, the second-to-last Thursday of the month.
Controversy
The new date for Thanksgiving caused a lot of confusion. Calendars were now incorrect. Schools who had planned vacations and tests now had to reschedule. Thanksgiving had been a big day for football games, as it is today, so the game schedule had to be examined.
Political opponents of FDR and many others questioned the President's right to change the holiday and stressed the breaking of precedent and disregard for tradition. Many believed that changing a cherished holiday just to appease businesses was not a sufficient reason for a change. Atlantic City's mayor derogatorily called November 23 as "Franksgiving."
Two Thanksgivings in 1939?
Before 1939, the President annually announced his Thanksgiving Proclamation and then governors followed the President in officially proclaiming the same day as Thanksgiving for their state. In 1939, however, many governors did not agree with FDR's decision to change the date and thus refused to follow him. The country became split on which Thanksgiving day they should observe.
Twenty-three states followed FDR's change and declared Thanksgiving to be November 23. Twenty-three other states disagreed with FDR and kept the traditional date for Thanksgiving, November 30. Two states, Colorado and Texas, decided to honor both dates.
This idea of two Thanksgiving days split some families because not everyone had the same day off work.
Did It Work?
Though the confusion caused many frustrations across the country, the question remained as to whether the extended holiday shopping season caused people to spend more, thus helping the economy. The answer was no.
Businesses reported that the spending was approximately the same, but the distribution of the shopping was changed. For those states who celebrated the earlier Thanksgiving date, the shopping was evenly distributed throughout the season. For those states that kept the traditional date, businesses experienced a bulk of shopping in the last week before Christmas.
What Happened to Thanksgiving the Following Year?
In 1940, FDR again announced Thanksgiving to be the second-to-last Thursday of the month. This time, thirty-one states followed him with the earlier date and seventeen kept the traditional date. Confusion over two Thanksgivings continued.
Congress Fixes It
Lincoln had established the Thanksgiving holiday to bring the country together, but the confusion over the date change was tearing it apart. On December 26, 1941, Congress passed a law declaring that Thanksgiving would occur every year on the fourth Thursday of November.
Now you know.....