Sarah Josepha Hale: An Editor Who Did More Than Report the News—She Helped Make History.
For fourteen years, Lebanon Times has celebrated Thanksgiving with its readers, seeking each year to explore a different side of the holiday’s history and traditions, beyond the familiar stories.
This year, we travel back to the nineteenth century to tell the story of a woman in journalism who believed in the power of words and whose determination helped establish Thanksgiving as a national tradition that brings Americans together.
She was a fellow journalist who lived more than a century and a half before us, yet her story offers a lesson that remains relevant today.
A Woman Ahead of Her Time
Her name was Sarah Josepha Hale, a journalist, author, and editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book. Born in New Hampshire in 1788, she lived at a time when professional opportunities for women were limited.
Yet she carved out a remarkable career in publishing, becoming one of the most influential women of the nineteenth century. Through her magazine, she advocated for education, culture, and issues affecting women.
Interestingly, Hale was also the author of the beloved nursery rhyme Mary Had a Little Lamb, memorized by generations of American children. Few realize that the woman behind those familiar verses also helped shape one of the nation’s most cherished holidays.
A Campaign That Began With a Pen
At the time, Thanksgiving was celebrated in various states, particularly in New England, but there was no single nationwide date.
Hale envisioned the holiday as an opportunity to unite Americans around the values of gratitude, family, and national unity.
Beginning in 1846, she intensified her campaign through editorials and letters to state governors and U.S. presidents, calling for a single day when Americans everywhere could celebrate Thanksgiving together.
Presidents came and went, and years passed, but Hale never abandoned her vision.
A Letter That Reached the White House
On September 28, 1863, as the United States endured the devastation of the Civil War, Hale wrote to President Abraham Lincoln, urging him to proclaim a unified national Thanksgiving observance.
She believed that a nation torn apart by war needed an occasion to remember what united its people rather than what divided them.
Just five days later, on October 3, Lincoln issued a proclamation calling on Americans to observe Thanksgiving on the last Thursday of November.
Hale was not solely responsible for the decision, but her decades-long campaign and historic letter helped bring about this turning point.
Later, in 1941, Congress officially established the fourth Thursday of November as the federal Thanksgiving holiday.
When a Pen Makes History
Sarah Josepha Hale passed away in 1879, leaving a legacy that extended far beyond the pages of her magazine.
Today, as American families gather around their Thanksgiving tables, few remember that a determined woman, armed with an idea and years of persistence, helped turn the holiday into a national tradition.
Perhaps the most meaningful lesson of her story is that journalism is more than reporting news or filling printed pages. It is a profession capable of influencing society and inspiring change.
Some decisions are signed by presidents… but the ideas that lead to them may first be born at an editor’s desk.
With this story of history, journalism, and the power of believing in an idea, Lebanon Times extends its warmest Thanksgiving wishes to our readers, friends, and all families celebrating the holiday.
May this special occasion bring love, peace, and gratitude to every home.