which was the first state to adopt an annual thanksgiving holiday?

New York was the first state to officially adopt an annual Thanksgiving holiday, doing so in 1817.

Quick Scoop

• In 1817, New York declared Thanksgiving a state holiday, making it the first state to formally set an annual Thanksgiving celebration.

• Other states gradually followed, but they often celebrated on different dates until Thanksgiving was standardized nationally later in the 19th century.

A Bit Of Story

Before it became a national holiday, Thanksgiving grew as a regional tradition in New England, where governors would periodically proclaim days of thanks. New York’s 1817 decision helped shift Thanksgiving from scattered proclamations to a recurring, scheduled holiday that other states could copy.

In a way, New York acted like an early “trendsetter” among the states, turning a custom into a yearly event that later presidents and Congress would unify for the whole country.

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