When was thanksgiving in 1939

Franklin Roosevelt observed Thanksgiving on the second to last Thursday of November for two more years, but the amount of public outrage prompted Congress to pass a law on December 26, , ensuring that all Americans would celebrate a unified Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November every year. Although Americans had celebrated days of thanksgiving before, it was not until when President Lincoln began the observance of Thanksgiving in November.

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. Documents The following letters are just a few of the thousands of letters President Roosevelt received regarding his decision to move Thanksgiving up one week:.

Library of Congress Collection. What may have seemed like a wonkish, technocratic, good-government policy clashed with what turned out to be deeply ingrained feelings among many Americans about when Thanksgiving should be celebrated. The Associated Press story announcing the move said Roosevelt "was shattering another precedent," and quoted a town official of Plymouth, Massachusetts, saying the traditional date was "sacred.

In addition, it's unclear that the president anticipated how much of a problem his big-government solution would pose to an active, and prescheduled, day of football. The New York Times reported that on the day of the announcement, "most football managers were too dumbfounded for any comment other than expressions of amazement. Landon said FDR announced his decision "with the omnipotence of a Hitler".

Republicans pounced, and used the move to portray Roosevelt as a power-mad tyrant. In an early example of Godwin's Law , FDR's recent presidential opponent Alf Landon said Roosevelt sprung his decision on "an unprepared country with the omnipotence of a Hitler.

Styles Bridges of New Hampshire suggested that while Roosevelt was at it, he should abolish winter. Accordingly, many GOP governors announced they would refuse to move Thanksgiving's date. Kansas Gov. Payne Ratner said that in his state, "we do not destroy tradition merely to gain newspaper headlines. White, who would bestow an enduring name on the controversy. When New Jersey's Democratic governor, Harry Moore, agreed to move the date, White announced , tongue in cheek, that Atlantic City would celebrate the earlier date only "as 'Franksgiving,' in honor of our President.

In the end, only 23 out of 48 states ended up moving the holiday to FDR's preferred date — with a few others, including Texas and Colorado, celebrating on both Thursdays.

The confused turkey in Holiday Inn , unsure of Thanksgiving's date. Screencap: Kimberly Guise. As began, the controversy still raged, with FDR setting that year's date for the particularly early November That year, two-thirds of states opted to go along.

An animated sequence in the film Holiday Inn — which starred Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire and premiered the song "White Christmas" by Irving Berlin — portrayed a confused turkey jumping back and forth between those two dates on the calendar, as you can see above.

But in May of that year, Roosevelt changed his mind again, and announced he'd move the date back in Changing the date seemed harmless enough but it proved to be quite controversial as can be seen in this letter sent to the President in protest. The Library's mission is to foster research and education on the life and times of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, and their continuing impact on contemporary life. Document of the Month - November. Franklin D. Why is it important for the President to hear this view?

Why do you suppose that Mr.