

Abraham Lincoln

Thanksgiving 'with one heart and one voice': From The Archives

Editor's note: America's first president, George Washington, also was the first in that office to proclaim a national day of thanksgiving. But it was the 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, who ordered in 1863 that the last Thursday of November be designated for that purpose every year. Historians say the proclamation was written by Lincoln's secretary of state, William Seward. Here's the text of that order:

Washington, D.C.

October 3, 1863

By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.
