Even though Abraham Lincoln is given credit for setting a formal date for Thanksgiving, actually, George Washington set a day of Thanksgiving back in 1789. However, it was not always celebrated on the same day and some years, not at all. Its observance was left up to each individual state.
On October 3, 1863, Lincoln formally adopted the date as being the last Thursday in November and that continued until 1942 when it was set as the fourth Thursday of November.
Of course, in 1863, the nation was deep in the middle of its worst trials and tribulations in its young history.
It is also that the idea of a presidential pardon for a turkey began with Abraham Lincoln when his son Tad pleaded that the bird's life be saved.
And, Now You Know the Rest of the Story. --The Blockade-Runner
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