Heres the history behind the bird and nine other holiday staples. Hale was the literary editor of godeys ladys book and promoted thanksgiving as a national holiday. Godey s lady s book was the chief financial success among the philadelphia magazines, and, after the port folio a political and literary journalmagazine, enlisted the services of the greatest number of the best writers. Margaret sutherland is the new york times bestselling author of thanksgiving is for giving thanks. This thanksgiving menu is from the civil war years. Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search. In the meantime, early americans celebrated thanksgiving not as a fixed annual. In its time, and despite its high subscription price of three us dollars usd a year, it was the most popular magazine, titled the. She was the author of the nursery rhyme mary had a little lamb. Thanksgiving, a uniquely american holiday cosmic tribune.
Godeys ladys book welcome to one of the most popular. The history behind 10 thanksgiving dishes mental floss. While lincoln issued the proclamation, credit for making thanksgiving a national holiday should go to sarah josepha hale, the editor of godeys ladys book, a popular magazine for women in 19th century america. It was the most widely circulated magazine in the period before the civil war.
Godeys ladys book, junedecember 1849 godeys ladys book on. Those of you who are familiar with american thanksgiving lore will perhaps already know this story, but since its a lovely story, we hope youll. This cultural curiosity was reflected in the use of caribbeaninspired ingredients in holiday menus of the affluent at the time. Things that a domestic wife would be interested in.
Godeys ladys book, july december 1855, vol 51, a famous womens magazine in the 19th century, sarah hale, louis godey, focusing on fashion, home life, literature and a variety of subjects. In 1846 sarah josepha hale, the editor of a godeys ladys book. Godeys ladys book was an american womens magazine published in the 19th century. In this 1858 editorial from godeys ladys book, its editor sarah josepha buell hale appeals directly, this time in her own name, for a national day of thanksgiving. She also noted that for the past 15 years she had set forth the idea of an official thanksgiving holiday in the pages of godeys ladys book which she edited for 40 years, multiplying its readership from 10,000 to 150,000. It gives him an increase of honor among the millions who are pining in vain for such high privileges as his national birthright bestows. Abraham lincolns historic thanksgiving proclamation. As the nation lurched toward civil war, sara josepha hale, the editor of the popular magazine godeys ladys book and the author of an 1823 novel that featured a thanksgiving dinner. Life north and south got sarah josepha hale the job as editor of godeys ladys. Thanks to the woman who helped make a november thursday. A federal holiday observed the fourth thursday in november by an act of congress 1941, it was the first such national proclamation issued by president lincoln in 1863, on the urging of mrs. For 40 years, hale pushed for the establishment of a thanksgiving day, publishing editorials in boston ladies magazine and godeys ladys book.
You may copy it, give it away or reuse it under the terms of the project gutenberg. With thanksgiving just around the corner, we thought it would be fitting to explore the birth of the modern thanksgiving day holiday, as it involves two rather prominent americans from the gone with the wind erasarah josepha hale, the influential editor of godeys ladys book and president abraham lincoln, who of course needs no introduction. Thanks to the woman who helped make a november thursday special thanksgiving before 1863 was something of a moveable feast, with states. The editor of the popular magazine godeys ladys book and famous author of mary had a little lamb, hale had devoted an entire chapter to the importance of thanksgiving traditions in her 1827 novel, northwood.
Thanksgiving day national holiday influence of godeys ladys book godeys armchair, october, 1856 thanksgiving day. Sarah hale campaigned 17 years for our national thanksgiving. No matter what youre looking for or where you are in the world, our global marketplace of sellers can help you find unique and affordable options. Hale, godeyswas among the first and most successful american womens magazines. And for full and free salvation, from our hearts pure thanks ascend. Sarah josepha hale, the little lady from nh who started. History of thanksgiving origin, history and traditions. Godeys ladys book cookbook, released in 1887, featured thanksgiving menu that included layered west indian dessert, made by alternating layers of. Nine years later, it merged with ladys book, a journal published in philadelphia by louis godey, becoming godeys ladys book. In this case, a penniless young widow from new hampshire, sarah josepha hale, rose to become the editor of the most popular magazine of her era, godeys ladys book, and used that position to generate grassroots support for a national thanksgiving. The project gutenberg ebook of godeys ladys book, by various this ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. Hale famously campaigned for the creation of the american holiday known as thanksgiving, and for the completion of the bunker hill monument. It was also known as godeys magazine, using that name exclusively in its last few years. Giving thanks to sarah josepha hale for crusading to make.
She was the editor of ladies magazine and godeys ladys book, and she began to clamor for such a day in 1827 by printing articles in the magazines. She stooped to place a birthday kiss upon the fair but wasted little face beside her, and then tore open the envelops. One of her pet causes was the creation of an official day to give thanks. The project gutenberg ebook of godeys ladys book january, 1851. After opening with two stanzas of the protestant hymn praise to god, immortal praise, which indicates the things for which we should offer grateful vows and solemn praise, hale offers the reasons for. Authentic thanksgiving menu from godeys magazine foods. Thanksgiving as a national holiday godeys ladys book. The london ladys magazine contained stories, poetry, historical pieces, book notices, and such embellishments as plates, costume designs and patterns. Sonja lamut is an awardwinning painter, printmaker, illustrator, and author of childrens books. It was sarah josepha hale, a magazine editor, whose efforts eventually led to what we recognize as thanksgiving.
Its circulation rose from 70,000 in the 1840s to 150,000 in 1860. Sarah josepha hale, the editor of a popular 19 th century womans magazine called godeys ladys book, started a campaign in 1846 to make thanksgiving a holiday celebrating harvests going back to the pilgrims feast. Publication date 1840 topics women, american literature, costume, arts publisher philadelphia, pa. A day to give thanks is part of native american tradition. In the 1850s its circulation ranged between 70,000 and 150,000 copies every month.
Nor was godeys format or content in any way exceptional. Godeys ladys book simple english wikipedia, the free. She also published stories and recipes and wrote scores of. Even alexander hamilton wanted you to eat turkey at thanksgiving. It was published in philadelphia, pennsylvania by louis antoine godey in 1836, godey bought the bostonbased american ladies magazine, and merged it with his own magazine. Today i found out sarah josepha hale, author of mary had a little lamb, was largely responsible for the establishment of the united states thanksgiving holiday hale, one of the great women in american history, campaigned for nearly 20 years to get thanksgiving made a national holiday. In 1789 president george washington proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving in honor of the united states constitution. Godeys ladys book was first published in 1830 and quickly became the first successful american journal for women. The circulation, largely due to its popular colored fashion plates, increased to 150,000 a month. Godeys ladys book womens magazine that focused on trivial subjects such as fashion, shopping, and homemaking advice.
In 1836 godey purchased the bostonbased american ladies magazine which he merged with his own publication. On some pages, the text is cut off because it runs into the books binding. A handcolored fashion plate from godeys ladys book, 1853. Most of the dishes are in book, civil war recipes receipts from the pages of godeys. She campaigned to make the day a national holiday, year after year sending letters to governors, congressmen, senators, and to. Hales letter to lincoln were papers in support of her plea. Union forever, godeys ladys book, november 1865, 445. Only new englanders celebrated thanksgiving, and each of the six states scheduled its own date to celebrate from october through january. Later, president thomas jefferson scoffed at the idea of having a day of thanksgiving.
But this acceptance is based primarily on the belief that the pilgrims created thanksgiving. The martha stewart of her day and editor of a prominent womens magazine, hale was especially interested in the role of the thanksgiving hostess. As coeditor of the successful godeys ladys book, she campaigned 17 years for our. Jan 30, 2014 in philadelphia in 1830 louis antoine godey 18041878 commenced the publication of godeys ladys book which he designed specifically to attract the growing audience of newly educated american women.
Godeys ladys book was a 19thcentury american monthly womens magazine. Godeys ladys book archives university of pennsylvania. We hope our readers will be unanimous in favor of this measure. According to my research, most of the credit for the establishment of an annual thanksgiving holiday may be given to sarah josepha hale. The focus on the church gave way to a focus on the home. In the 1860s godeys considered itself the queen of monthlies. More than 70 years later, president abraham lincoln was petitioned by sarah josepha hale, a 74yearold editor of the thenpopular magazine godeys ladys book, to set aside a day of giving. Editors table the following are all the excerpts related to thanksgiving from 1860, 1859, 1858, 1857, and october 1855. Sarah hale talked president lincoln into thanksgiving holiday. Godeys ladys book, alternatively known as godeys magazine and ladys book, was an american womens magazine that was published in philadelphia from 1830 to 1878.
Though we most often associate thanksgiving with pilgrims and new england indians, the holiday, at least as an official national event, began 150 years ago, at the height of the civil war. Shall it be celebrated throughout our whole country on the same day. Identical page numbers exist due to two separate sections in the book. Also, there is an image between pages 384 and 388 in the first section that was cut off in the original book. It wasnt until magazine editor sarah josepha hale campaigned for the national holiday in her writing, an effort bordering on obsession. Hale wrote many editorials championing her cause in her boston ladies magazine, and later, in. Godey, a publisher and former newspaper editor, established his magazine in 1830 in philadelphia, pennsylvania. If women today feel they cant get by without their monthly magazines, be they vogue, oprah or good housekeeping, theyd definitely understand the great thrill of american 19th century women when theyd receive their godeys ladys book each month. Godeys ladys book, american publication that, from 1830 to 1898, pioneered a format still employed by magazines devoted to womens issues. Hales genius as an editor was to focus on american topics and american authors at a time when other magazines typically reprinted articles pirated from english publications. The complete godeys ladys book 18301896 accessible archives.
See more ideas about american women, lady and civil war hairstyles. Thanksgiving day is generally taught as an acceptable holiday to celebrate in the larger congregations of god. Sarah josepha buell hale october 24, 1788 april 30, 1879 was an american writer and an influential editor. Although sarah gives the credit for the first american thanksgiving to the.