October 3 in American History
President Washington issued a proclamation setting aside a day of "public thanksgiving and prayer" — the first under the new Constitution. It wasn't yet an annual holiday (Lincoln fixed that in 1863), but it set the template: a young republic pausing, together, to be grateful for what it had.
In 1789: Washington proclaims the first national Thanksgiving. President Washington issued a proclamation setting aside a day of "public thanksgiving and prayer" — the first under the new Constitution.
President Washington issued a proclamation setting aside a day of "public thanksgiving and prayer" — the first under the new Constitution. It wasn't yet an annual holiday (Lincoln fixed that in 1863), but it set the template: a young republic pausing, together, to be grateful for what it had.
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