What is Check Out Date? The forgotten holiday before Thanksgiving

When President Abraham Lincoln first proclaimed Thanksgiving as a national holiday, he did not know that he was writing the beginning of the end in the spotlight of the first patriotic celebration held in the last week of November: Emancipation Day.

In November 1863, Lincoln issued an order to thank God for the blessings of the harvest, and in the 1940s, Congress declared the 11th month of the fourth Thursday of the calendar year to be Thanksgiving Day.

That commemoration, however, combined with the gradual move towards détente with what is now the most powerful country in the US – Great Britain – removed the day when Americans celebrated the last of the Redcoats fleeing their country.

Following the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia in 1776, New York City, 99 miles to the northeast, remained a British stronghold until the end of the Revolutionary War.

Captive Continentals were confined to prison ships in New York Harbor and British political activity in the West was concentrated in the Big Apple, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

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However, all that came down to the crown after the Treaty of Paris was signed, and the new “Americans” eagerly watched the British leave their hard-earned home on November 25, 1783.

In their haste to escape to the US, the British took the time to paint the flagpoles that still flew the Union Jack. One prominent position was in Bennett Park – on today’s West 183 Street near the northern end of Manhattan.

Undeterred, Sgt. John van Arsdale, a veteran of the Revolution, assembled a device that allowed him to climb a slippery pole and tear down the enemy flag of the day. Van Arsdale replaced it with the Stars and Stripes – and without today’s skyscrapers in the way, the change of colors on the highest point of the island can be seen far from the city.

In the harbor, the last blast from the British battleship was headed for Staten Island, but missed the crowd that had gathered to watch the 6,000 soldiers begin their journey back across the Atlantic towards King George III.

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John Van Arsdale replaces the Union Jack with the American flag as the British leave New York on November 25, 1783. (Getty)

Later that day, future President George Washington and New York Governor George Clinton – who had negotiated an “exit” with British Canadian Prime Minister Sir Guy Carleton – led a military march down Broadway through crowds of revelers in what today would be Wall Street’s capital. . district on the other side of Manhattan.

Clinton made Washington dinner and a “Farewell Toast” at the nearby Fraunces’ Tavern, which has a museum dedicated to the original US holiday. Samuel Fraunces, a watering hole owner, provided food and intelligence to the Continental Army.

Washington met at Fraunces’ just a week later to announce his departure from the Army, surrounded by Clinton and other Revolutionary leaders such as Gen. German-born Friedrich von Steuben – officially recognized by New York’s Oktoberfest parade.

“With a heart full of love and gratitude, I now leave you. I sincerely wish that your last days may be prosperous and happy, as your former ones have been glorious and honorable,” said Washington.

Before Lincoln – and later Congress – made Thanksgiving common as a big family affair, Escape Day was more prominent than its successor and Independence Day, according to several sources, including Untapped New York.

November 25th was a school holiday in the 19th century and people recreated the van Arsdale climb up the Bennett Park flagpole. Formal dinners have been held at the Plaza Hotel and other high-end establishments for many years, according to the store.

A formal parade reminiscent of today’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade was held annually in New York until the 1910s.

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Fraunces’ Tavern, Pearl and Broad Streets New York City. (Getty)

As diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom began to warm in the 20th century and the US alliance with London during the World Wars became more important, the celebration of Evacuation Day became less common.

However, in the 2010s, commemorative flag raisings have been held at Bowling Green, at the south end of Broadway. On the first day of the Exodus, Washington’s dinner at Fraunces Tavern was preceded by the US Army marching down in picturesque fashion to officially retake New York.

Thirteen toasts – marking the number of the United States – were raised in France, each explaining the new government’s hope for the new nation or thanking those who helped bring it into being.

Washington’s aide wrote them for posterity, and the Sons of the American Revolution recited them at the annual dinner, according to the tavern’s museum website.

“To the United States of America,” the first toast went. The second was honored by King Louis XVI, whose French Army was instrumental in the victory of America.

“To human rights defenders in all parts of the world,” read another. “May a close union of states protect the temple they have built for freedom.”

13 issued a warning to any other country that might want to attack the new US:

“May remembering this day be a lesson for princes.”