🌅 Where Thanksgiving Comes From

SOURCE

National Retail Federation

WHAT TO KNOW

• Holiday spending is expected to surpass the $1 trillion mark for the first time ever this year, as Americans are poised to spend between $1.01 trillion and $1.02 trillion in November and December, up roughly 4% from the year prior. A record 186.9 million people are planning to shop from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday this year, up from 183.4 million last year. Black Friday remains the most popular shopping day, with 70% of consumers planning to shop that day.

WHY IT MATTERS

• While the Thanksgiving weekend now marks the beginning of the holiday shopping season, it wasn’t always that way. The holiday officially began in 1863 during the Civil War, after President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation establishing a national Day of Thanksgiving observed on the last Thursday of November. However, Lincoln wasn’t the first American leader to call for such a day, as the Continental Congress declared a Day of Thanksgiving in December 1777 to commemorate the victory at Saratoga in October of that year. President James Madison also announced a Day of Thanksgiving during the war of 1812, as did leaders of both the U.S. and Confederate states during the Civil War.

CONNECT THE DOTS

• Several Americans advocated for the creation of the day, most notably Sarah Hale, author of the famed nursery rhyme, Mary Had a Little Lamb. Hale sent a letter to President Lincoln arguing that a national Day of Thanksgiving would help unify the nation; Lincoln agreed and the rest is history. Some 160 years later, Hale’s vision has largely been achieved, as inclusivity, tradition, and thanks have become a hallmark of the holiday. Today, over nine-in-ten Americans (91%) celebrate Thanksgiving, including roughly four-in-five immigrants (79%).