Happy Thanksgiving!

From National Mall and Memorial Parks:

Happy Thanksgiving! We chose this view of the Washington Monument from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial because of the special roles both men played in establishing the American celebration of this holiday.

In 1777, the Continental Congress issued the first National Proclamation of Thanksgiving which Gen. George Washington and his troops followed in December of that year in honor of the recent victory over the British at Saratoga. Later, in 1789 as president, Washington declared the first Thanksgiving Day to be issued by the government of the United States. Succeeding presidents sporadically observed the celebration through the first part of the 1800s. In 1863, at a time when it was most needed, Lincoln declared a national Thanksgiving Day and made it an official holiday.