George Washington issued the first presidential Thanksgiving proclamation in 1789, a tradition connected with America250 history.
At Congress’s request, Washington proclaimed Thursday, November 26, 1789, a day of public thanksgiving and prayer. He issued the proclamation on October 3 while serving as the first president under the new Constitution, and he was in New York City at the time.
The proclamation encouraged people in the United States to give thanks for peace, prosperity, and the successful establishment of a national government. Washington later attended services at St. Paul’s Chapel and donated food and beer to imprisoned debtors in New York.
This was not the first thanksgiving observance in North American history. The Second Continental Congress had recommended a national day of thanksgiving in 1777, during the Revolutionary War. Washington’s proclamation was the first presidential Thanksgiving proclamation, while the modern federal Thanksgiving holiday was established much later.