Why Were There Two Thanksgivings in 1939? Grade 4 History Lesson
Share
Imagine two classroom calendars for November 1939. One marks Thanksgiving on November 23. The other says November 30. A student reaches for an eraser. Which date should disappear? Surprisingly, neither. The disagreement is the lesson.
Why did Thanksgiving fall on two dates in 1939?
In 1939 the final Thursday in November fell on November 30. President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed an earlier observance on November 23. His decision came amid concerns that a later Thanksgiving would shorten the holiday shopping season during the economic recovery. States did not all follow the proclamation. Consequently, Americans observed Thanksgiving on different Thursdays.
The dispute continued into the next two years. Congress eventually established the fourth Thursday in November as the federal Thanksgiving holiday, and Roosevelt signed the law in December 1941. The fourth Thursday is not necessarily the last Thursday when a November contains five Thursdays. The National Archives explains the 1941 change and preserves the congressional record.
A classroom calendar challenge
- Display November 1939. Have students locate November 23 and November 30.
- Ask for a prediction. Could the two Thanksgiving dates refer to the same year without one source being “wrong”?
- Add context cards. Introduce the presidential proclamation, differing state responses, the shopping-season concern, and the later congressional decision.
- Revisit the contradiction. Let groups explain why historical documents might give different dates without cancelling each other.
A whole-class Reader’s Theater with 24 speaking roles
In The Thanksgiving That Happened Twice, a school exhibit contains two conflicting Thanksgiving dates. Instead of erasing one, a 24-character student investigation uncovers the historical reasons both dates mattered. The Grade 4-centered script gives a large cast an actual puzzle to solve.
Free classroom resource: The Thanksgiving That Happened Twice
This free Grades 3–5 resource has a Grade 4 focus and 24 speaking roles. Use the shared script alongside Original and Accessible Mini Readers and follow-up questions.
Get the free The Thanksgiving That Happened Twice Reader's Theater
Discussion prompts after the script
- Why did the president’s action not make every state choose the same date?
- Why might newspapers from different states appear to disagree?
- What is the difference between the fourth Thursday and the last Thursday?
- How did a 1941 law change the situation?
Extension: presidential proclamation versus federal law
Give pairs two short statements to evaluate: “Roosevelt announced an earlier Thanksgiving in 1939” and “Congress established the federal fourth-Thursday rule in 1941.” Ask students to identify the actor, date, and kind of government action in each. Then have them explain why the two statements are not contradictory. The president’s proclamation and a later congressional statute operated in different historical moments. This distinction helps students avoid saying that Roosevelt permanently changed the holiday date in 1939.
For a quick cross-curricular connection, students can compare a November calendar with four Thursdays to one containing five. Have them explain, using the calendar rather than memorization, why “fourth Thursday” and “last Thursday” sometimes refer to different dates.
What students practice beyond memorizing dates
This lesson develops chronology, federal-versus-state distinctions, cause and effect, and contextual reading. Students see that disagreement between sources can be a clue to investigate. It need not be evidence that one writer was careless. The same method applies to maps, election dates, local laws, and historical timelines.
Need a shorter cast or an older grade band? See all five free Thanksgiving history Reader’s Theater choices.
For a companion timeline on how national observances evolve, try the Hale-and-Lincoln advocacy lesson. Students can contrast the presidential proclamations of 1863 and 1939 with the congressional law of 1941.
Related Thanksgiving history lessons
- All five free Thanksgiving history scripts (Grades 3–12)
- Study Sarah Josepha Hale, Lincoln, and the long history of Thanksgiving
- Try six Thanksgiving activities without historical role-play reenactments
Another free option: Study Sarah Josepha Hale, Lincoln, and the long history of Thanksgiving — choose the grade band and inquiry target that fit your class.