On Oct. 3, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation that made Thanksgiving a national holiday.

“I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens,” the proclamation stated.

At that time, Lincoln saw the proclamation as a peaceful interlude amid the Civil War.

Lincoln’s announcement marked the culmination of a multi-decade campaign by Sarah Josepha Hale to make Thanksgiving into a national holiday. After Lincoln issued his proclamation, states began celebrating Thanksgiving on the same date, thus giving Lincoln the credit for nationalizing the holiday.

Now, many years later, people across the nation look forward to gathering with their loved ones and spreading gratitude thanks to Lincoln.