Episode 264: Hoes of History: Sarah Josepha Hale

The Homance Chronicles

Sarah Josepha Hale is known as the "Mother of Thanksgiving," but she's so much more than that. She was an American writer, activist, and editor. At the age of 18, in 1806, she started teaching at a school; however, women were not allowed to be teachers at that time and most women weren't even being taught how to read.

She married David Hale and they shared a similar love for learning and reading, spending every night teaching each other about they found interesting. They had five children together, but sadly David passed away unexpectly while she was pregnant with their 5th child. She was left to figure out a way to support herself and her children.

She relied on her higher than average education, especially for a woman at the time, and put her faith into her writing abilities. She submitted articles, poems, and even wrote her first novel, "Northwood; A Tale of New England," with great success. Sarah’s career was firmly established, making her one of the first American women novelists and one of the first of either gender to write a book about slavery.

She's also the author of, "Mary Had a Little Lamb." She served as the editor aka "editress" of the Ladies' Magazine, the first substantial magazine in the United States for Women. She later became the editor of Godey's Lady's Book for forty years, retiring in 1877 when she was almost 90.

Throughout all of this she spent decades campaigning for Thanksgiving to be a national holiday. She eventually convinced President Abraham Lincoln and determined that the last Thursday of November will be a National Day of Thanksgiving, so the American people could celebrate grace and good fortune "with one heart and one voice."

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