Turkey Talk: Thanksgiving's Quirky Political History

According to Derek Dufresne of Ascent Strategic, Here are some interesting Thanksgiving political facts to bring up around the dinner table with your guests: 

The woman who wrote "Mary Had a Little Lamb" is also responsible for making Thanksgiving an official holiday. After petitioning the government for 17 years, writer Sarah Josepha Hale finally convinced Abraham Lincoln in 1863 to make it a national holiday. 

The annual tradition of pardoning the White House Thanksgiving turkey didn't officially begin until 1989, with President George H.W. Bush. But it was President Kennedy who let the first bird off the hook when he quipped in 1963, "We'll just let this one grow. It's our Thanksgiving present to him." 

Before Thanksgiving became an official national holiday, each president had to name it so annually. In all of American history, only one Commander-in-Chief, Thomas Jefferson, refused to do so. Word is it was because the day involved prayer, and he believed strongly in the separation of church and state. 

In 1926, a Mississippi man gave the First Family a rather unconventional Thanksgiving gift: a raccoon, which apparently was considered a foodie delicacy in the Magnolia State. But instead of eating the animal, President Calvin
Coolidge named her Rebecca, adding her to the collection of critters the First Family already had, which included a bear, hippo, hordes of dogs, and even two lion cubs. 

In the midst of the Great Depression, President FDR moved Thanksgiving up one week to allow more time for shopping before Christmas. Otherwise, it would have fallen on Nov. 30. The move sparked an intense public reaction, though none as memorable as the stunt pulled by Atlantic City's then-mayor, C.D. White. In a public statement issued the day before the new Thanksgiving as designated by Roosevelt, White announced that his city would celebrate two days of thanks and that the earlier date would be known as "Franksgiving." 

The NFL's Thanksgiving Day Games have a political history. The tradition of playing NFL games on Thanksgiving Day dates back to 1934 when the Detroit Lions played the Chicago Bears. The game was seen as a way to promote the NFL and boost civic morale during the Great Depression.