Evacuation Day, once a major patriotic holiday in New York, celebrated the British departure from the city after the Revolutionary War. It featured grand parades and events, but faded into obscurity with the rise of Thanksgiving and improved U.S.-UK relations. Today, it’s mainly remembered through occasional flag-raisings.
Following the Treaty of Paris in 1783, which ended the Revolutionary War, British forces began their withdrawal from New York. On November 25, 1783, the British left, and citizens celebrated by tearing down the British flag and replacing it with the American flag. Historical accounts describe scenes like Sgt. John van Arsdale’s daring climb up Bennetts Park flagpole to remove the Union Jack, followed by a triumphant parade led by George Washington through Manhattan to the Wall Street area. These events, once grand and widely attended, now serve as distant memories, with only a few annual commemorations keeping the legacy alive.
The transition from Evacuation Day to Thanksgiving was influenced by both cultural and political factors. President Abraham Lincoln’s proclamation of Thanksgiving as a national holiday in 1863, and its formal designation as a federal holiday in the 1940s, contributed to its rise in prominence. Meanwhile, the growing alliance between the U.S. and the United Kingdom during the world wars further diminished the significance of Evacuation Day, which was once a symbol of American independence and resistance. Today, while the event is largely forgotten, its legacy endures in the occasional reenactments and historical recognition efforts by groups like the Lower Manhattan Historical Association.