Happy Thanksgiving!
I’m coming into your inbox early this week, as I prepare for my favorite holiday - Thanksgiving!
Most Thanksgiving lessons in my US elementary schools focused on stories about Plymouth — Pilgrims, Squanto, scenes like this:
But when I read that Sarah Hale was the “Mother of Thanksgiving,” I did a double take.
Who was Sarah Hale — and why hadn’t I heard of before?
And how did she become the “Mother of Thanksgiving”?
I was curious…
Sarah Josepha Buell was born in the small town of Newport, New Hampshire in 1788.
Her parents believed that she should be educated, and she and her brother Horatio were both taught history and literature at home. When Horatio attended Dartmouth College, he shared what he learned with his sister.
When Sarah was 18, she began working as a teacher, and at age 25, she married an attorney from Newport named David Hale.
David and Sarah would have academic discussions in the evening, and he encouraged his wife’s intellectual interests – and her writing pursuits.
Sarah wrote poems, short stories, and articles – many of which were published in local newspapers.
But then in 1822, David died suddenly, just weeks before Sarah delivered their fifth child.
Needing to provide for her family, Sarah tried various ways to earn a living, from running a hat shop to teaching and writing.
She published her first book of poems in 1823, followed by her first novel, Northwood: Or Life North And South, Showing The True Character Of Both in 1827.
In 1829, she published her most famous book, Poems for Our Children, which included one called Mary’s Lamb, that would go on to become the famous Mary Had a Little Lamb.
Her writing caught the attention of John Blake, who asked her to work for him on Ladies’ Magazine.
Accepting the post made Sarah Hale the first woman editor of a magazine in the United States.
A few years later, when Ladies Magazine merged with Godey’s Lady’s Book, Sarah remained as editor (or ‘editress’, as she referred to herself).
Godey’s Lady’s Book featured stories and poems by male and female authors, and focused on topics like fashion, raising children, and household management.
Sarah was conservative and religious, and she believed in preserving both the history of America and the nation’s founding principles.
But she also used her platform to promote women’s issues, like the importance of women’s education.
“In this age of innovation perhaps no experiment will have an influence more important on the character and happiness of our society than the granting to females the advantages of a systematic and thorough education,” she wrote in the first issue of Ladies’ Magazine.
She also believed America should have a national day of thanks, like the ones she had grown up with, “to offer to God our tribute of joy and gratitude for the blessings of the year.”
In Northwood, she wrote of a Thanksgiving dinner that is still familiar today – “surrounded by a large family” with “roasted turkey” and “innumerable bowls of gravy and plates of vegetables.”
And her idea to mark a day of thanks was not a new idea.
Native Americans had held harvest festivals for centuries, and George Washington had proclaimed a day of thanks in 1789 to celebrate the end of the war.
US presidents John Adams and James Madison had issued similar proclamations during their time in office.
US President Thomas Jefferson (who served between Adams and Madison) did not though, as he felt the religious connotations were not appropriate for a nation founded on the separation of church and state.
And no formal Thanksgiving declarations had been issued after 1815.
But Sarah used the power of the pen to persuade others – from politicians and ministers to newspaper editors, and even wrote directly to the US presidents.
Presidents James K Polk, Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan all received letters from Sarah, encouraging them to establish an official holiday for all states.
She had observed how the country was expanding, and how families were being separated by geographies.
When Sarah was born there were 13 colonies – and as the country grew to become 30 states, she noticed the growing divide between the north and south.
She continued writing and lobbying state and federal officials, and by 1854, more than 30 states and US territories had a Thanksgiving celebration on the books.
But Sarah wanted to see it recognized as a national holiday.
She believed a day of thanks could ease the country’s division and unite Americans, and wrote in 1859:
“Each year, by bringing us oftener together, releases us from the estrangement and coolness consequent on distance and political alienations . . . . How can we hate our Mississippi brother-in-law? and who is a better fellow than our wife’s uncle from St. Louis? . . . Wherever we may be, it is a good and pleasant thing to feel that we look at the same stars, pray to the same God, and hold high festival of gratitude at the same hours throughout the broad land that He has so blessed!”
The following year she wrote that Thanksgiving Day, “if fixed and perpetuated, will be a great and sanctifying promoter of this national spirit.”
But then war broke out in 1861.
That year she wrote how the “National Feast Day” was celebrated in 24 states and three territories – but missing were the states in the Confederacy.
Despite the war, Sarah was still determined.
Even though her attempts to convince five US presidents to make Thanksgiving a national holiday failed, she didn’t give up.
And on September 28, 1863 – while the US Civil War raged on – she wrote to President Abraham Lincoln, and made her case for a national day of thanks.
“Permit me, as Editress of the ‘Lady’s Book,’ to request a few minutes of your precious time, while laying before you a subject of deep interest to myself and — as I trust — even to the President of our Republic, of some importance.
“This subject is to have the day of our annual Thanksgiving made a National and fixed Union Festival.”
Perhaps Lincoln had already been considering this idea before Sarah Hale’s letter reached him, but five days later, he issued a proclamation to establish that the last Thursday of November would be a National Day of Thanksgiving, where the American people could celebrate grace and good fortune “with one heart and one voice.”
And her work establishing Thanksgiving as a national holiday was just one of her accomplishments.
Hale served as editress of the Lady’s Book for 50 years, retiring in 1877 at the age of 89.
Throughout her life, she advocated for women’s education, and her impact was significant.
Educational opportunities for women greatly increased during her lifetime, with more girls attending high school, as well as coeducational colleges and all-female colleges.
Sarah was also involved in numerous philanthropic pursuits, including raising funds to construct the Bunker Hill Monument in Massachusetts, and save George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate.
She also established the Seaman’s Aid Society to provide “job training, financial opportunities and social support for impoverished wives and children of sailors” and advocated for women to hold property rights.
But despite her views about women’s education, Sarah did not support women’s suffrage, as she feared it would diminish women’s influence at home.
Sarah lived to see the US Senate and House of Representatives pass a bill in 1871 establishing that Thanksgiving would occur annually on the fourth Thursday of November.
But she did not live to see it signed into law by a US president.
That wouldn’t happen until November 26, 1941, when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed into law a bill that officially established the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day.
One more thing…
Sarah and I might not have agreed on women’s suffrage, but we DO agree on the importance of a Thanksgiving — and pumpkin pie.
“The thought of keeping Thanksgiving without a pumpkin pie is surely almost unsupportable”
–American Farmer correspondent, 1833.
Here’s Sarah’s recipe for Pumpkin Pie:
Stew the pumpkin dry, and make it like squash pie, only season rather higher. [Strain or rub the stewed pumpkin through a sieve or colander. Mix this with good milk till it is thick as batter; sweeten it with sugar.
Allow five eggs to a quart of milk, beat the eggs well, add them to the pumpkin and season with rose water, cinnamon, nutmeg, or whatever spices you like.]
In the country, where this real yankee pie [her italics] is prepared in perfection, ginger is almost always used with other spices. There too, part cream instead of milk, is mixed with the pumpkin, which gives it a richer flavor.
Roll the paste rather thicker than for fruit pies, as there is only one crust. If the pie is large and deep it will require to bake an hour in a brisk oven.
This sounds like a good recipe for my friend Mary C to try — and anyone else who lives in London if they will share it with me.
Recent Writing
That’s One Way to Get Attention — A singer reminds us why words (and self-awareness) matter.
Stop Being So Mean — Is it sexist? Is it ageist? This advertising approach is definitely lazy - and mean.
Keep Your Shirt On — The CEO of AirAsia decided to get a massage during a management meeting. What could go wrong?
How Can I Help?
I’ll keep saying it: Communication matters.
Poor communication costs you — money, relationships and your reputation.
If you need more proof, look at what happened with OpenAI this past week!
And if you want to improve your communication (and get all the good things that come with that), I’m your gal.
So many companies could reap significant benefits – from performance and culture to retention and engagement – by improving their communication.
So, if you know someone who could benefit from some help (as even the most seasoned leaders do), please get in touch and check out my website for more information.
You can also see my Top 10 list of what I can (and can’t) do for you here.
And if you see any communication examples (the good, the bad, and the ugly) that you think are worth analyzing or sharing, please send them my way!
Until next time, Stay Curious!
-Beth