On Tuesday President Obama issued a proclamation naming November 22, 2012 a day of thanksgiving. The Thanksgiving proclamation was a practice begun by President Washington; however, there were no proclamations from 1815 to 1861.
President Lincoln restarted the tradition of the Thanksgiving Day proclamation in 1863, and a new proclamation has been issued every year since. Like other presidential documents, the proclamations are published in the Federal Register. You can also view all of the proclamations that have been issued thanks to the Pilgrim Hall Museum.