1789年，儘管出現反對的呼聲，華盛頓總統還是宣布感恩節為全國性節日。在殖民地中也存在意見的分歧，不少人認為，僅僅一小撮朝聖者所經歷的那些艱難困苦並不值得用一個全國節日來紀念。之後，傑弗遜總統還對這件事嗤之以鼻。
it was sarah josepha hale, a magazine editor, whose efforts eventually led to what we recognize as thanksgiving. hale wrote many editorials championing her cause in her boston ladies' magazine, and later, in godey's lady's book. finally, after a 40-year campaign of writing editorials and letters to governors and presidents, hale's obsession became a reality when, in 1863, president lincoln proclaimed the last thursday in november as a national day of thanksgiving.
若沒有薩拉·j·黑爾――一位雜誌編輯的努力，最終就不會有我們現在所謂的感恩節。在她主編的"波士頓婦女雜誌"及稍後的"godey's 女士手冊"中，她撰寫了大量的社論，支持將感恩節定為全國性節日。40年中，她堅持不懈地發表評論，不斷致信州長乃至總統，最後，理想終於變為現實：1863年，林肯總統發表聲明，將11月的最後一個星期四定為感恩節――一個全國性的節日。
thanksgiving was proclaimed by every president after lincoln. the date was changed a couple of times, most recently by franklin roosevelt, who set it up one week to the next-to-last thursday in order to create a longer christmas shopping season. public uproar against this decision caused the president to move thanksgiving back to its original date two years later. and in 1941, thanksgiving was finally sanctioned by congress as a legal holiday, as the fourth thursday in november.
從此歷屆總統都按此行事。但具體時間也發生過幾次變化。最近的一次是富蘭克林·羅斯福總統宣布的。為開創一個更長的聖誕購物季節，羅斯福總統宣布將感恩節日期改在11月的倒數第二個星期四，即提前了一個星期。但公眾反對呼聲太高，兩年後，總統不得不將感恩節日期改回到原來的時間。1941年，美國國會最終通過決議，將感恩節定為美國法定假日，的時間是每年11月的最後一個星期四。