A Thanksgiving Proclamation Nov. 26

Thanksgiving Proclamation

[New York, 3 October 1789]

By the President of the United States of America, a Proclamation.

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor-- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be-- That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks--for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation--for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war--for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed--for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted--for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

and also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions-- to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually--to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed--to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord--To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us--and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

Go: Washington

Just thought you might like to know!

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Meaning of Thanksgiving

On Tuesday, Nov. 26, the day before Thanksgiving, the Wall Street Journal ran an editorial entitled "The Desolate Wilderness," just as it has done for the last 47 Thanksgivings. It's really not an editorial. It's an excerpt from Nathaniel Morton, the record keeper of the Plymouth Colony, and William Bradford, its governor. Plymouth Colony was, of course, the woebegotten group of settlers in 1620 that gave Americans their tradition of Thanksgiving.

Since 1961 the Journal has published this excerpt on Thanksgiving along with its own commentary, "And the Fair Land," first written at the height of the Cold War and as relevant today as it was when John F. Kennedy faced off against Nikita Khrushchev. I hope this Thanksgiving you'll check it out online because it says so much about who we as Americans are and why we're this way.

"And the Fair Land" remains relevant through 5 decades because every Thanksgiving it speaks to the very character of America and Americans. We Americans like to think ourselves as the leaders of the developed world. But contrary to that, "And the Fair Land" points out that America "is one of the great underdeveloped countries of the world; what it reaches for exceeds by far what it has grasped."

It is this reaching beyond what we can grasp that has defined our national character. Think of the immigrants over centuries who left all they knew, never to see it again, for a chance to start over on these shores. That risk-taking gene has been passed down through centuries to us. Left behind were the non-risk takers. Americans are hard-wired to to work hard, aim high and achieve in ways some people can only dream about.

From Europe we get fine wine, crystal, and linens, products painstakingly developed by craftsmen over centuries. From America we get men on the moon and the Internet.

Those adventurers who set sail from Delftshaven in 1620 reached far beyond their grasp. A great and beneficent God protected them, nurtured them and shed his grace on them.

May we as a culture continue to reach beyond our grasp. And pray that God's grace continue to be with us.

Just thought you might like to know.