It seems to
me that Thanksgiving is the forgotten holiday.
The stores jump from Halloween to Christmas, seemingly not knowing what
to do with Thanksgiving.
In the interest of preserving one of my favorite holidays (maybe because
it hasn't been quite so commercialized), I thought I'd pass on three
Thanksgiving proclamations. We have
much to be thankful for. I hope you are
encouraged to offer thanks, not only this Thursday, but every day....
Happy Thanksgiving
The First Thanksgiving Proclamation
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June 20, 1676
"The Holy God having by a long and Continual Series of his
Afflictive dispensations in and by the present War with the Heathen Natives of
this land, written and brought to pass bitter things against his own Covenant
people in this wilderness, yet so that we evidently discern that in the midst
of his judgements he hath remembered mercy, having remembered his Footstool in
the day of his sore displeasure against us for our sins, with many singular
Intimations of his Fatherly Compassion, and regard; reserving many of our Towns
from Desolation Threatened, and attempted by the Enemy, and giving us
especially of late with many of our Confederates many signal Advantages against
them, without such Disadvantage to ourselves as formerly we have been sensible
of, if it be the Lord's mercy that we are not consumed, It certainly bespeaks
our positive Thankfulness, when our Enemies are in any measure disappointed or
destroyed; and fearing the Lord should take notice under so many Intimations of
his returning mercy, we should be found an Insensible people, as not standing
before Him with Thanksgiving, as well as lading him with our Complaints in the
time of pressing Afflictions:
The Council has thought meet to appoint and set apart the 29th day of
this instant June, as a day of Solemn Thanksgiving and praise to God for such
his Goodness and Favor, many Particulars of which mercy might be Instanced, but
we doubt not those who are sensible of God's Afflictions, have been as diligent
to espy him returning to us; and that the Lord may behold us as a People
offering Praise and thereby glorifying Him; the Council doth commend it to the
Respective Ministers, Elders and people of this Jurisdiction; Solemnly and
seriously to keep the same Beseeching that being persuaded by the mercies of
God we may all, even this whole people offer up our bodies and souls as a
living and acceptable service unto God by Jesus Christ."
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http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1789thanksgiving.html
Modern History Sourcebook:
George Washington:
Thanksgiving Proclamation, 1789
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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 and 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 many 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 in the
course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquillity,
union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational
manner in which we have enabled do 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 the great and various favors which
He has been please 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 shown kindness to us), and to
bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge
and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase 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 3d day of October, AD 1789
George Washington
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Abraham Lincoln's
Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1863
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It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God; to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the Lord.
We know that by His divine law, nations, like individuals, are subjected
to punishments and chastisements in this world. May we not justly fear that the
awful calamity of civil war which now desolates the land may be a punishment
inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national
reformation as a whole people?
We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have
been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in
numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown.
But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which
preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we
have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these
blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own.
Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel
the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God
that made us.
It has seemed to me fit and proper that God should be solemnly,
reverently and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the
whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part
of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are
sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of
November as a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father Who
dwelleth in the heavens.
(signed) A. Lincoln
October 3, 1863