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Sarah Josepha Hale is not generally recognized as a holiday hero. But she deserves much of the credit for one annual celebration. Can you identify that holiday?More >> Sarah Josepha Hale is not generally recognized as a holiday hero. But she deserves much of the credit for one annual celebration. Can you identify that holiday?More >> How does Santa Claus travel to the Netherlands -- and where does he come from?More >> How does Santa Claus travel to the Netherlands -- and where does he come from?More >>
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Thomas Jefferson, the third U. S. president, believed in a firm separation between church and state. He refused to declare a day of prayerful thanksgiving, believing that it was improper for him to do so.
His two predecessors, George Washington and John Adams, had issued annual thanksgiving proclamations, as did James Madison, who succeeded him in office. After Madison, thanksgiving became something of a state-by-state matter until Abraham Lincoln convinced Congress to establish Thanksgiving Day as a federal holiday.
