Mr. Lincoln, Mrs. Hale, and Thanksgiving

Join The Wayside Inn Foundation and author Melanie Kirkpatrick for a virtual author’s discussion and (optional) take-home dinner inspired by recipes from Godey's Lady's Book prepared by Longfellow’s Wayside Inn on Wednesday, November 10th at 7:00 pm. Register at https://bit.ly/halethanksgiving.

The story of how Thanksgiving became a regular national holiday is a classic American tale of how an enterprising individual with a good idea can have an impact. 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, Godey’s Lady’s Book. She used her powerful position to generate grassroots support for a national Thanksgiving, while also writing to presidents, governors and other influential leaders to line up their approval. After several presidents rejected her idea, Lincoln finally agreed. In 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, he called on the nation to come together in a shared Thanksgiving celebration. One hundred fifty-eight years later, we have Mrs. Hale to thank for this still-unbroken series of Thanksgiving Days.

Kirkpatrick is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and a former deputy editor of The Wall Street Journal’s editorial page. She is the author of Lady Editor: Sarah Josepha Hale and the Making of the Modern American Woman; Thanksgiving: The Holiday at the Heart of the American Experience and Escape from North Korea: The Untold Story of Asia’s Underground Railroad. She has lived in Tokyo, Toronto, Hong Kong, and Manhattan and now resides in rural Connecticut. Signed copies of Lady Editor and Thanksgiving will be available for purchase during registration.

Links to the virtual discussion are $7 for TWIF Members and $10 for nonmembers. Register at https://bit.ly/halethanksgiving.

For more information about the program or The Wayside Inn Foundation, email TWIF@wayside.org.