Article TLDR Sarah Joseph Hale wrote a letter to Abraham Lincoln in 1846 , launching her onewoman campaign to make Thanksgiving on the same day in every state . 17 years later , during the height of the Civil War , Lincoln finally responded and declared it a national holiday on the fourth Thursday in November . <| sep |> Such fake much fake <| sep |> QotD All the junk I don ' t need but have . Technology , guitars , a nice house , a job that gives me time off with my kids , you name it . <| sep |> Living in a friendly GLBTQ city , it ' s not as impossible as you may think . If I knew you were going to be a prick , I would not have responded to you . Peace . <| sep |> In the old legends yeah . Not canon now though <| sep |> OMG ! Thank you !