Our First Thanksgiving
.So far as (lie records show, Ihe first Thanks¬
giving proclamation in ;\*ortli Carolina was
issued in 1758. Since then there have been
a number of changes.
When the new governor of the
province of North Carolina. Arthur
Dobbs, arrived in New Bern in Oc¬
tober. 1754. he found his administra¬
tion confronted with many vexing
problems and the colony resentful of
his autocratic manners. After several
years of stormy rule, the old governor
must have concluded that the colony
needed more than earthly help to
solve its problems. So on April 29.
1758. he issued a proclamation, a por¬
tion of which follows:
"Whereas, for the enormity of our
sins, the neglect of Divine service and
worship of God. and from our gross
sensualities and immoralities. God Al¬
mighty has been pleased to correct
Britain and these colonics by a heavy
and dangerous war (French and In¬
dian war) by which we arc in immi¬
nent danger of losing the invaluable
blessing of our Holy Religion. Liberties
and Possessions — Therefore. I do
hereby appoint Wednesday, the 7th of
June next, to be kept holy by all
ranks of people within this Province
as a day of fasting and supplication:
and. also, to give thanks to Almighty
God and our blessed Saviour, for
having hitherto preserved this Prov¬
ince in peace in the midst of surround¬
ing impending dangers."
In October of the same year Gover¬
nor Dobbs met with the General Coun¬
cil in Wilmington and there was
ordered "that a proclamation do issue
for a public Thanksgiving on the first
Wednesday in December next.” giving
the colony opportunity to participate
in two Thanksgivings in 1758.
Still Other Changes
The following year. 1759. a Thanks¬
giving Day was observed on Oc¬
tober 31, in celebration of the English
victory' at Oucbec. The quaintly
worded proclamation issued by Gover¬
nor Dobbs is reproduced in part:
"I have appointed a Day of solemn
Thanksgiving, and upon this happy
THE STATE. NOVCMOtB IS. 1950
event and important Crisis have com¬
posed a Hymn to be sung that Day
throughout the Province, which 1 beg
leave to send to you as being at pres¬
ent conformable to all the Phophccics
according to my Interpretation of them
at this happy Era, 1760 — for during
the whole War I have been a little
Enthusiastic in my Expectations; as the
Object of my wishes for near these 30
years in regard to British domination
over North America is now so near
its accomplishment.”
In 1760, Thanksgiving was ob¬
served on December 23, and two years
later on May 4. Governor Dobbs died
in 1765 and was buried on his planta¬
tion on Town Creek, below Wilming¬
ton. but the Thanksgiving idea was in
North Carolina to stay.
In 1777. the Continental Congress,
meeting in Philadelphia, sent a recom¬
mendation to the 13 colonies that the
18th of December be set apart "for
a general Thanksgiving to Almighty
God.”
Prayers for Blessings
Congress recommended that prayer
be offered "for blessings on our
government, to inspire our military’
leaders with wisdom and fortitude, to
prosper trade and agriculture, to take
schools and seminaries under His nur¬
turing Hand, and to prosper the means
of religion for the promotion and en¬
largement of His Kingdom."
The proclamation this year evidently
did not reach every section of the
colony, for in the diary by the Mora¬
vian church in Salem, an entry for
December 18. 1777. sets forth:
"A man showed us a newspaper in
which it was said that today had been
designated by the highest authorites as
a Day of Thanksgiving in this Province;
we excused ourselves for not observing
it on the ground that we had not
known of it."
In 1779 the day was observed on
December 9 and in 1780 on Novem¬
ber 28. Every year during the
Revolutionary War. a Thanksgiving
Day was set aside.
But in 1783 North Carolina appears
to have arranged a Thanksgiving Day
of its own choice. Governor Martin, in
Danbury at the time issued a procla¬
mation urging the province to observe
July 4 as a day of Thanksgiving,
"strictly enjoining all good citizens of
this State to set apart the said day front
bodily labors, and employ the same in
devout and religious exercises. And I
do hereby require Ministers of the
Gospel of every Denomination to con¬
vene their congregations at the same
time, and deliver unto them dis¬
courses suitable to the important oc¬
casion."
The proclamation, issued to indicate
thankfulness for the signing of the pre¬
liminary Treaty of Peace in Paris clos¬
ing the Revolutionary War. was said
to have been observed only by the
Moravians, so far as is known. Miss
Adelaide Fries, in her Records of the
Moravians in North Carolina points
out that North Carolina was the only
State that anticipated the national day
of Thanksgiving by observing the
Fourth of July.
A second Thanksgiving was ob¬
served in the state that year. Decem¬
ber 1 1 . after Congress issued the proc¬
lamation for a Day of Thanksgiving
"not only for liberty, but for plentiful
harvest, the light of the blessed Gos¬
pel and the rights of conscience in
faith and worship."
President Washington appointed
November 26 as Thanksgiving Day in
1789. and the same date in 1795.
Another celebration was observed after
the War of 1812 on proclamation of
President Madison, at the behest of
Congress.
By 1858. governors of 25 states
were setting Thanksgiving days more
or less regularly, and after Abraham
Lincoln named the last Thursday in
November. 1S64, for the observance.
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