Thanksgiving is one of the most enjoyable holidays of the year. Each year, families gather for a day of feasting and relaxation. Many families will plan some special event each year during Thanksgiving, which only adds to the fun. Most people can’t wait to eat turkey and dressing, potatoes and gravy, with cranberries and hot rolls. This glorious meal is usually topped off with pumpkin pie, or in the South, with sweet potato pie.
While modern-day Americans cannot imagine a November without Thanksgiving, the holiday nearly ended in mid-1800s. One courageous woman, Sarah Hale, decided the United States needed this great festival, and in the face of considerable opposition, she rallied support for its establishment.
Born in New England, Sarah grew up listening to stories from her father, a crippled Revolutionary War veteran. The accounts of the birth of the United States stirred her heart with an appreciation for the sacrifices and ideals of the founders of the country.
However, by 1825, though still celebrated by the people in New England, Thanksgiving was fast fading in other parts of the country. Sarah believed the United States needed to have a day to give thanks for all the blessings the citizens had received. So she started a letter-writing campaign to have the fourth Thursday of November declared Thanksgiving.
At first, few people pay attention to Sarah’s efforts. Unfazed, Sarah begins composing elegant letters to the presidents of the country urging the establishment of Thanksgiving. The first president to receive her letters, Zachary Taylor, refused to declare Thanksgiving a national holiday. Since presidents come and go, Sarah just waited for Millard Fillmore to be elected to the office. Fillmore also didn’t want to dedicate the holiday. Next, she harangued President Franklin Pierce to create Thanksgiving. He declined. As the Civil War was about to begin, Sarah continued to send more letters to the recently elected President James Buchanan. With the country about to divide into war, the hapless Buchanan had more things to think about than holidays.
Finally, as the United States was embroiled in the bloody and deadly Civil War, Sarah pleaded with President Abraham Lincoln to establish Thanksgiving. Surely the beleaguered country needed something to give it hope and bring people together. The idea began to resonate with Lincoln and he became determined to act.
What did Lincoln decide? Did Sarah Hale’s 38 years of organized letter writing with a quill pen finally pay off? Is hard work and perseverance worth the effort? What have you worked diligently to achieve? And finally, why does the entire country owe a debt of gratitude to this inspired woman? To find out, go to the library and check out this captivating story about the establishment of Thanksgiving, "Thank You, Sarah" by Laurie Anderson.
At a young age, Sarah Hale was left a widow with five children. To support her family, she began editing one of the country’s first magazines for women. She published many famous authors, including Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Edgar Allen Poe. Additionally, she wrote essays, novels and poems with her most famous work being the universally loved poem "Mary Had A Little Lamb."
Quite simply a whirl-a-wind of energy, Sarah Hale persisted for years in writing letters and organizing letter writing campaigns to have Thanksgiving declared a national holiday.
The illustrations in this book are filled with humor and assist children in understanding the issues behind the establishment of Thanksgiving as a national celebration. Quite simply, this is a fun and informative book about a dynamic woman’s drive to establish one of the most pleasant holidays in the United States. The book is fun to read, and has an excellent appendix. So before you roll up your sleeves and get ready to eat this year’s Thanksgiving turkey, check out this interesting book. Enjoy!
