The Wall Street Journal's look back at the 1789 debate over a national Thanksgiving puts two South Carolina politicians in the limelight — as well as two issues that remain part of today's political landscape.
When New Jersey Rep. Elias Boudinot asked for a committee to form in the country's first Congress in New York in hopes of a national day of "Thanksgiving and prayer," he was met by strong opposition from two South Carolina representatives.
Rep. Aedanus Burke opposed the measure because it was too European. And Thomas Tudor Tucker said the celebration was a state issue, and violated the separation of the church and state.
Both issues remain a point of contention more than 200 years later, with battles over school prayer, Voter ID, immigration and healthcare.