Question:

Who was the American poet and editor who urged the President to make Thanksgiving a national holiday?

Answer:

Sarah Josepha Buell Hale

As you enjoy your turkey this Thanksgiving, give a special thanks to Sarah Josepha Buell Hale, an American poet and editor. Hale is known for her persistent efforts to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. Thanksgiving had been recognized since the 1790s, but it was a localized holiday held at each state’s choosing. Hale believed that America had too few holidays and that having periodic nationwide celebrations (like Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July) would foster togetherness and raise morale across the country.

Largely self-taught, Hale worked as a schoolteacher and poet early in life. Among her most famous poems was “Mary Had A Little Lamb,” which was published in 1830. In 1837, Hale began a 40-year career as editor of the Philadelphia-based ladies journal Godey’s Ladies Magazine. During her tenure, Hale oversaw contributions from such writers as Washington Irving, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Hale’s crusade for Thanksgiving began in 1846.  She wrote letters to five presidents before her efforts were finally rewarded by Abraham Lincoln, who established legislation in 1863 that made Thanksgiving a national holiday. Hale is buried in Laurel Hill Cemetery.

HSP’s library contains several works on Sarah Hale and her contributions to the literary world, such as The Lady of Godey’s: Sarah Josepha Hale by Ruth E. Finley (Gh .0699) and Our Sister Editors: Sarah J. Hale and the tradition of nineteenth-century American women editors by Patricia Okker (PS 1774.H2 Z83 1995).

Click here for past questions.

The questions of the week are created by Cary Majewicz, technical services archivist at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. To purchase a digital reproduction of an image seen here, contact Dana Lamparello at dlamparello@hsp.org.