Few Presidents have made more meaningful, life-changing decisions, as did Franklin Roosevelt. However, one of his seemingly small decisions caused great division and a bit of chaos in the country. To extend the Christmas shopping season, FDR changed the date of Thanksgiving. This seemingly innocuous decision proved to be quite controversial. The issue became known as Franksgiving!
Abraham Lincoln declared the first Thanksgiving Day as the last Thursday in November 1863. Click here to read the fascinating story behind that declaration. The nation quickly adopted the family meal tradition centered around gratitude and forgiveness on the last Thursday in November. Putting out Christmas sales or decorations until after Thanksgiving was considered inappropriate.
Many business leaders in 1939 were worried about a shortened Christmas shopping season because November had five Thursdays that year. That would make Thanksgiving fall on November 30. They became convinced that the compressed shopping season would lead to decreased sales. During the Great Depression, businesses depended heavily on their income during Christmas. President Roosevelt took their concerns seriously. Helping the economy improve was one of his major New Deal priorities.
In August 1939, FDR announced that Thanksgiving Day would be on November 23, the third Thursday of the month; this would ensure a more extended shopping season, hopefully leading to greater profits for American businesses. Surprisingly, this seemingly harmless move caused great political controversy for FDR! And you thought politics caused problems at Thanksgiving today!
FDR’s opponent in the 1936 election, Kansas Governor Alf Landon, said FDR was acting “with the omnipotence of a Hitler.” He wasn’t the only Republican who hated the idea of 
moving the date. A 1939 Gallup Poll showed Republicans opposed moving Thanksgiving.
Day by a whopping margin of 79 percent to 21 percent. Democrats were split 52-48 in favor of the change.
As a result, 22 states with Republican governors simply refused to move Thanksgiving and celebrated it on November 30. Conversely, 23 states with Democratic leaders made the change. Colorado, Mississippi, and Texas oddly decided to celebrate both dates! Warner Brothers’ “Merrie Melodies” cartoon ‘Holiday Highlights’ showcased this bizarre split!
So why were people upset about the move? Some, no doubt, just didn’t want to see a 
tradition change for business profit. But since Roosevelt had not announced until August, the new date threw schedules across the country into chaos. School schedules had already been printed, with November 30 listed as Thanksgiving. College registrars worried that students would take both November 23 AND November 30 off as Thanksgiving break! Rivalry football games were on the books for Thanksgiving, parades, travel plans, Worship services, and commemorations.
From 1939-1941, America did not have a unified Thanksgiving day. In 1942, Congress approved a resolution establishing the third Thursday of November as the official Thanksgiving.
Interestingly, FDR later realized that moving the date had not resulted in more Holiday sales! Nonetheless, the ‘new’ date became the standard day for celebrating Thanksgiving.
Thank you for the beautifully written history of Thanksgiving! I i always love to hear about Lincoln. It was onteresting to learn new information about FDR.
I am thankful and grateful for You. Hope your family and you had a great day!