Two thanksgivings 1939 why

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Weather Unusual October storm leaves awestruck San Diego in its wake. Politics Lawmakers discuss power of the Latino vote at San Diego conference. Local For subscribers. At the beginning of Franklin Roosevelt's presidency, Thanksgiving was not a fixed holiday. At that time it was up to the President to issue a Thanksgiving Proclamation to announce what date the holiday would be.

Most presidents would follow suit and announce the holiday as the last Thursday in November. Many believe that the Pilgrims chose this day, but that is not the case. It was when President Lincoln began the observance of Thanksgiving in November, making it a national holiday. Lincoln's decision came in the middle of the Civil War and seems to be an awkward attempt to bring faith back into a war-torn country.

Below is an excerpt from Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation:. Here's the full text of Lincoln's. Thanksgiving Day Proclamation. But this tradition was difficult to continue during the challenging times of the Great Depression as statistics showed that most people waited until after Thanksgiving to begin their holiday shopping.

This meant that there were only about 20 shopping days until Christmas; business leaders feared they would lose the much needed revenue an extra week of shopping would afford them. They asked President Roosevelt to move the holiday up from the 30th to the 23rd; however he choose to keep the Thanksgiving Holiday on the last Thursday of the month as it had been for nearly three quarters of a century.

In , with the country still reeling from the effects of the Great Depression, Thanksgiving once again threatened to fall on the last day of November. This time the President did move Thanksgiving up a week to the 23rd. The following letters are just a few of the thousands of letters President Roosevelt received regarding his decision to move Thanksgiving up one week:. View Enlargement View Text. Telegram from Richman Brothers clothing manufacturers to FDR claiming the change of Thanksgiving will hurt merchants, October 13, Letter from Charles Arnold to FDR expressing his concern that the new Thanksgiving date will hurt small store owners, August, 15, Letter from John Taylor to FDR explaining that the calendar industry will lose money if the date of Thanksgiving is changed, August, 15, Letter from New York University to FDR's secretary stating that the change in Thanksgiving will disrupt the university's annual football game, August 22, Telegram from F.

Archer, Sr.