Although most people know Sarah Josepha Hale as the author of the poem, Mary Had A Little Lamb, she also has a legacy of writing on women’s issues and campaigning for a national day of Thanksgiving.
Prior to the Civil War, Hale was troubled about the nation’s lack of unity. She believed that a day of national unity would prevent the breakup of the Union. In 1860 Hale wrote “This year the last Thursday in November falls on the 29th. If all the States and Territories hold their Thanksgiving on that day, there will be a complete moral and social reunion of the people of American in 1860. Would this not be a good omen for the perpetual political union of the States? May God grant us not only the omen, but the fulfillment of our dearest wish!”
In 1863 Hale wrote to President Lincoln directly, asking him to put his authority behind the cause. On October 3, Lincoln issued a proclamation making the last Thursday in November a national day of Thanksgiving.
Hale’s purpose behind the common day of thanksgiving was to promote unity.
Perhaps our nation on this Thanksgiving Day, November 27, 2014, could use a dose of unity to bring together the ever growing division between the two political parties in America.
It seems to me that one can’t have logical and well-meaning differences of opinion about how the government should be managed without the opposing political partisans labeling the “other side” as stupid, evil, uncaring, racist or sexist.
Sarah Josepha Hale was a widow with five children when she began supporting herself through publishing her poems and writings. She became editor of Ladies Magazine. As editor, she leveraged the causes she was passionate about including property rights and increased wages for women and expanded educational and career opportunities for women.
Interestingly enough, she was not a proponent of women’s right to vote. She argued that politics was inherently immoral and corrupt. However, she did understand the power she had through her publication and advocating for changes in marriage laws and for women to go to college. Women did begin to study at seminaries and academies. She published literary works of women giving them a platform for their ideas and advocacy for suffrage, abolition and temperance, and ultimately greater opportunities for everyone.
This example proves to me that well-meaning and thoughtful people can have different opinions about major political issues and government practices without resorting to name calling, disparaging jokes, condescension and ascribing negative motives to those with different perspectives.
Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Unity Day in America.