Thanksgiving Day2026 · Date · History · Messages
5 U.S.C. 6103/OPM establishes Thanksgiving Day on the fourth Thursday in November. National Archives documents the 1789 federal proclamation, 1863 annual tradition, 1939 shift and 1941 congressional settlement of the current rule; Smithsonian NMAI supplies Wampanoag historical context.
About Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the fourth Thursday in November. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management lists that rule under 5 U.S.C. 6103.
The modern federal date is the result of a long national chronology: a 1789 federal thanksgiving proclamation, recurring annual presidential observance from 1863, a disputed date shift beginning in 1939, and a 1941 congressional resolution fixing the fourth Thursday.
Why Thanksgiving Day matters
For many people, Thanksgiving is a family, community, religious or secular occasion centered on gratitude and a shared meal, but practices vary widely.
The familiar “first Thanksgiving” story is not a complete account of Wampanoag and colonial history. Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian notes that Wampanoag traditions of giving thanks long predate the English settlement and that the 1621 encounter belongs to a much more complex history.
History of Thanksgiving Day
At Congress’s request, President George Washington proclaimed Thursday, November 26, 1789 as a national day of thanksgiving—the first such observance under the new U.S. Constitution.
President Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 proclamation made a national Thanksgiving on the last Thursday of November a regular annual practice.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the observance to the second-to-last Thursday beginning in 1939, producing different dates among states for two years.
Congress resolved the date dispute in 1941. After Senate amendment, President Roosevelt signed the measure on December 26, 1941, establishing the fourth Thursday in November as the federal Thanksgiving Day holiday.
How the observance developed
This timeline uses documented milestones from reviewed sources. Missing stages are left out rather than guessed.
Federal day of thanksgiving under the new Constitution
At Congress’s request, President George Washington proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving; later presidents used varying dates.
Annual national Thanksgiving on the last Thursday of November
President Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 proclamation began regular annual national observance on the last Thursday of November.
Presidential second-to-last-Thursday Thanksgiving date
President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the date in 1939, producing conflicting state observances until Congress fixed the fourth Thursday in 1941.
United States Congress and President Franklin D. Roosevelt for the current fourth-Thursday federal rule
1941 congressional joint resolution (H.J. Res. 41 as amended) fixing Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November
United States federal government
Thanksgiving Day is established in federal law and listed by OPM as a federal holiday on the fourth Thursday in November.
What the evidence establishes
Confirmed institutional roles and milestones are shown first. Details that could not be established from the reviewed sources are listed separately below.
3 fields not established in reviewed sources
Predecessor and precursor observances
Earlier or merged observances are kept separate from former names and later institutional actions.
Also known as
Thanksgiving
How to Observe Thanksgiving Day
Share a meal, gratitude practice or community gathering in a way that respects different family, cultural and religious traditions.
Learn the federal holiday chronology from National Archives material rather than collapsing 1621, 1789, 1863 and 1941 into one origin story.
Include Wampanoag perspectives and living Native history when teaching or writing about the 1621 harvest gathering.
If helping others is part of your observance, follow the receiving organization’s current guidance rather than assuming what food, donations or volunteer help is useful.
Thanksgiving Day Facts
U.S. federal law places Thanksgiving Day on the fourth Thursday in November.
Washington proclaimed November 26, 1789 as a national thanksgiving under the new Constitution.
Lincoln’s 1863 proclamation began a regular annual national observance on the last Thursday in November.
The federal fourth-Thursday rule was established in 1941.
The 1621 harvest gathering and the modern federal holiday are related in popular memory but are not the same legal or historical event.
Thanksgiving Day Messages
Wishing you a peaceful Thanksgiving filled with gratitude, good company and respect for the histories behind the day.
May Thanksgiving bring time for rest, reflection and appreciation for the people around you.
Wishing you a meaningful Thanksgiving, however your family or community chooses to observe it.
May this Thanksgiving be a chance to share a meal, learn something true about the day’s history and care for one another.
Topic and context
What this page does not assume
- Keep the source-defined country, community, organizer or institutional scope; do not silently broaden it.
- Do not treat the title alone as proof of government recognition or public-holiday status.
- Do not add a creator, founding story or origin claim unless the supporting evidence establishes it.
Evidence & sources
Sources used across the guide are gathered here. Labels show how each source supports the page, and contextual references are kept separate from primary evidence.
National Archives — Congress Establishes Thanksgiving
Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian — Native Knowledge 360° historical context
U.S. Office of Personnel Management — federal holiday rule under 5 U.S.C. 6103
National Archives — Congress Establishes Thanksgiving (opens in a new tab)
Federal Legislative History
Smithsonian NMAI — Rethinking Thanksgiving Celebrations (opens in a new tab)
Indigenous History Institutional
U.S. OPM — Federal Holidays (opens in a new tab)
Federal Public Holiday Calendar
Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian / Native Knowledge 360° — “First Thanksgiving” timeline (opens in a new tab)
Understand it, compare it, then explore further
Start with the most common factual questions, then compare closely related observances and explore useful connections.
Frequently asked questions
When is Thanksgiving Day?
Fourth Thursday in November The documented recurrence rule is: Fourth Thursday in November.
Does Thanksgiving Day fall on the same date every year?
It follows a recurring calendar rule, so the Gregorian date can change from year to year.
Is Thanksgiving Day an official public holiday?
The reviewed sources verify it within this scope: United States federal holiday. That recognition does not by itself make it a statutory public holiday; the site only makes public-holiday claims when reliable evidence explicitly does so.
Who established or recognizes Thanksgiving Day?
The reviewed sources identify United States Congress and President Franklin D. Roosevelt for the current fourth-Thursday federal rule as the proclaiming or establishing body. Current facilitation or coordination is recorded as United States federal government.
Is Thanksgiving Day international or country-specific?
This observance is specific to United States. Its fuller verified scope is: United States federal holiday.
How is this page verified?
The factual information is checked against reviewed sources, including the date pattern, scope and institutional history. This page was checked on 2026-09-26.
When is Thanksgiving Day in the United States?
It is the fourth Thursday in November under federal law.
When did the United States first observe a national thanksgiving under the Constitution?
President George Washington proclaimed November 26, 1789 after a request from the first Federal Congress.
When did the current fourth-Thursday rule begin?
Congress fixed Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in 1941, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the measure on December 26, 1941.
Was the 1621 harvest gathering simply the first Thanksgiving?
That label is an incomplete national story. Wampanoag communities had traditions of giving thanks long before English settlement, and the 1621 gathering occurred within a much more complex history.
Other observances on November 26
These observances are also listed on November 26, 2026.
Anti-Obesity Day
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Mindanao Week of Peace
Philippine Proclamation No. 127 (2001) declares the last Thursday of November through the first Wednesday of December of every year thereafter as Mindanao Week of Peace.
World Olive Tree Day
Proclaimed at UNESCO’s 40th General Conference (2019)
World Sustainable Transport Day
A/RES/77/286