Thanksgiving is unique among American holidays.  Unlike any other holiday, it weaves together our whole nation on that special day with a tradition of giving thanks for blessings we might otherwise overlook.  We all come together to be a part of a group on that day.  Somehow we all know that, on that day, no American should be alone.  At the very least, despite our many differences, Americans from all walks of life share a common Thanksgiving tradition of turkey, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and a prayer of thanks.  Though it is true that the first American Thanksgiving was celebrated by the Pilgrims and American Indians near Plymouth Rock, it was really Abraham Lincoln who made it a national holiday.

Prior to Lincoln, Thanksgiving was celebrated only very sporadically and primarily in the Northeastern part of the country, its date declared by individual governors.  Nationally it depended on the whim of the President who had the authority to proclaim a national day of Thanksgiving.

Lincoln led our country in a time of great turmoil.  It was he who said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”  He led us through a civil war in order to keep “the house” of American democracy standing.  It claimed 620,000 lives, more than all our other wars combined.  The battle of Gettysburg was the bloodiest battle of them all claiming 46,000 American lives.  The South would never again launch an offensive against the North.  It was a crucial victory, but it came at an extraordinarily high price.

On November 19, 1863 Lincoln was scheduled to say a few appropriate remarks at the dedication of the Gettysburg military cemetery almost a year after he had freed the slaves.  The speaker before him had spoken for two hours, and Lincoln spoke, but for a few minutes.

But in those few minutes, he redefined a nation, “…that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”  Thanks to Lincoln non-whites were finally included as “the people.”

Lincoln also proclaimed the following Thursday, exactly a week, after his Gettysburg address a national day of Thanksgiving.  All over the northern states a huge effort was put forth to ensure that soldiers on the battle field had a Thanksgiving feast of turkey, pies, bread, butter, and cider. (Given the lack of refrigeration it was probably hard cider)

“In Baltimore, the Union Ladies Committee distributed meals to Union soldiers and rebel prisoners alike.  At Camp Parole, in Annapolis, roast turkey had been the primary topic of conversation for days.  That morning, ‘every face wore a joyous aspect, in anticipation of the good things in preparation for the dinner’.  Orderlies set long tables of turkey, pies, bread, butter, tea and cider.  Fourteen hundred men sat down, Federal soldiers and paroled Confederates, men from every state in the union, probably the first such all-American Thanksgiving meal ever.”[1]

Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national holiday and redefined our nation.  He created, “government of the people, by the people, and for the people” and everyone was finally included in the definition of “people”. Thanks to Lincoln a man born in the Aloha State of Hawaii, with a permanent tan is now President of the United States.  That’s cause for celebration.  Okole Maluna, and Cheers!

At the inaugural Luncheon in January, after President Obama completed his “swearing-in” ceremony, Duckhorn wines were served with a three course meal inspired by President Lincoln. The first course was a seafood stew made with lobster, scallops, shrimp and black cod a.k.a. butterfish, supposedly one of Lincoln’s favorite dishes. The main course was a brace of American birds (pheasant and duck) served with sour cherry chutney and molasses sweet potatoes, inspired by Lincoln’s childhood on the Kentucky-Indiana frontier. Dessert was an apple-cinnamon sponge cake and sweet cream glace in honor of Lincoln’s love of apples. Served with this Lincoln inspired meal was the Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc and their Goldeneye Pinot Noir. Not surprisingly, Duckhorn is selling this “presidential pair” in a commemorative wooden box through their website.

Obama’s homage to Lincoln is not a recent conversion. Obama announced his candidacy in front of the Illinois statehouse, where Lincoln made his house divided speech in 1858. Like Lincoln, Obama is also a gifted orator. On his way to D.C., he replicated Lincoln’s inaugural journey. Like Lincoln, his cabinet can be considered “a team of rivals”; it includes some of his most outspoken presidential rivals. He even took the oath of office on Lincoln’s inaugural Bible. He was the only other president to take the oath of office on Lincoln’s bible.

People of the day didn’t fully comprehend that Lincoln was deadly serious when he said I do solemnly swear to preserve, protect, and defend the constitution of the United States.

To give you an idea of the United States he lived in. He was 17 when his most admired Thomas Jefferson died. As Lincoln took his oath of office, “The Washington monument was an abandoned stump, surrounded by scattered blocks of stone. The Capitol had no dome. Slaves were toiling in the stinking heat, and the Potomac was an open sewer. The Union itself was dissolving like sugar in water.” It was a rough and tumble world back then. During Lincoln’s Inaugural Midnight Buffet, party goers made a mad rush for the food and caused tables of food to fall over as people jammed food and drink down their throats, in essence a food fight.

Just three months after taking his oath of office, in order to preserve the union, Lincoln was forced to pit North against South in a deadly civil war. In the course of the war, Lincoln freed the confederate slaves with the emancipation proclamation.

After a bloody battle, Lincoln was scheduled to say a few appropriate remarks at the dedication of the Gettysburg military cemetery (almost a year after he had freed the slaves). The speaker before him had spoken for two hours, and Lincoln spoke, but for a few minutes.

But in those few minutes, he redefined a nation, “…that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” Thanks to Lincoln non-whites were finally included as “the people.”

February 12, 2009 would be his 200th birthday. In commemoration, congress authorized a commission dedicated to renewing American appreciation of Lincoln’s Legacy. Tributes, programs, and cultural events will be conducted starting in his birthplace.

Imagine if 200 years from now, Obama is also honored with tributes and cultural events. Wouldn’t it be cool if Lau Lau, poke, and poi were served in Washington D.C. in homage to his birthplace? I think a viogner would pair perfectly with that course. Cheers!