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View Full Version : Establishing Thanksgiving A Political Hot Potato



Kathianne
11-22-2012, 10:01 AM
LOL! We've always taken our politics seriously:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324556304578121412538523392.html




Updated November 20, 2012, 8:48 p.m. ET

<!-- ID: SB10001424127887324556304578121412538523392 --> <!-- TYPE: Commentary (U.S.) --> <!-- DISPLAY-NAME: Opinion --> <!-- PUBLICATION: The Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition --> <!-- DATE: 2012-11-20 20:48 --> <!-- COPYRIGHT: Dow Jones & Company, Inc. --> <!-- ORIGINAL-ID: --> <!-- article start --> <!-- CODE=DJII-DJN SYMBOL=R/NME CODE=DJII-DJN SYMBOL=R/US CODE=DJII-REGION SYMBOL=namz CODE=DJII-REGION SYMBOL=usa CODE=DJII-SUBJECT SYMBOL=ncat CODE=DJII-SUBJECT SYMBOL=nedc CODE=DJII-SUBJECT SYMBOL=nfact CODE=DJII-SUBJECT SYMBOL=nfcpex CODE=KEYWORD SYMBOL=THANKSGIVING CODE=PERSON SYMBOL=Boudinot, Elias CODE=PERSON SYMBOL=Courchaine, Paul CODE=PERSON SYMBOL=Lincoln, Abraham CODE=PERSON SYMBOL=Lyle, Charles CODE=PERSON SYMBOL=Madison, James CODE=PERSON SYMBOL=Ms. Kirkpatrick CODE=PERSON SYMBOL=Sherman, Roger CODE=PERSON SYMBOL=Tucker, Thomas Tudor CODE=PERSON SYMBOL=Washington, George CODE=STATISTIC SYMBOL=FREE CODE=SUBJECT SYMBOL=OPIN PERSON Boudinot, Elias PERSON|Boudinot, Elias NAME Elias Boudinot SIGNIFICANCE PASSING-MENTION PERSON Tucker, Thomas Tudor PERSON|Tucker, Thomas Tudor NAME Thomas Tudor Tucker SIGNIFICANCE PASSING-MENTION PERSON Sherman, Roger PERSON|Sherman, Roger NAME Roger Sherman SIGNIFICANCE PASSING-MENTION PERSON Washington, George PERSON|Washington, George NAME George Washington SIGNIFICANCE PASSING-MENTION PERSON Lyle, Charles PERSON|Lyle, Charles NAME Charles Lyle SIGNIFICANCE PASSING-MENTION PERSON Courchaine, Paul PERSON|Courchaine, Paul NAME Paul Courchaine SIGNIFICANCE PASSING-MENTION PERSON Madison, James PERSON|Madison, James NAME James Madison SIGNIFICANCE PASSING-MENTION PERSON Lincoln, Abraham PERSON|Lincoln, Abraham NAME Abraham Lincoln SIGNIFICANCE PASSING-MENTION --> Thanksgiving, 1789

George Washington's proclamation was not without controversy.


By MELANIE KIRKPATRICK (http://online.wsj.com/search/term.html?KEYWORDS=MELANIE+KIRKPATRICK&bylinesearch=true)

It is hard to imagine America's favorite holiday as a source of political controversy. But that was the case in 1789, the year of our first Thanksgiving as a nation.

The controversy began on Sept. 25 in New York City, then the seat of government. The inaugural session of the first Congress was about to recess when Rep. Elias Boudinot of New Jersey rose to introduce a resolution. He asked the House to create a joint committee with the Senate to "wait upon the President of the United States, to request that he would recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging, with grateful hearts, the many signal favors of Almighty God."

The congressman made special reference to the Constitution, which had been ratified by the requisite two-thirds of the states in 1788. A day of public thanksgiving, he believed, would allow Americans to express gratitude to God for the "opportunity peaceably to establish a Constitution of government for their safety and happiness."

Boudinot's resolution sparked a vigorous debate. Rep. Aedanus Burke of South Carolina objected on the grounds that a Thanksgiving was too European. He "did not like this mimicking of European customs, where they made a mere mockery of thanksgivings."

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