This Day in History:
FDR Establishes the
Modern Thanksgiving Holiday November 26, 1941 President Franklin D. Roosevelt
signed a bill officially establishing
the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day. In 1939, Roosevelt had departed
from tradition by declaring the next
to last Thursday that year
as Thanksgiving Day. The tradition dated back to
President Abraham Lincoln,
who declared Thanksgiving to
fall on the last Thursday of November. Franklin's deviation sparked
considerable controversy, with
some Americans refusing to honor
the declaration. But Roosevelt repeated
the unpopular proclamation
for the next two years. In 1941, the president admitted
his mistake and signed the bill
establishing the modern national
holiday of Thanksgiving Day.