Thanksgiving Day Proclamation
By the President of the United States of AmericaNovember 16, 2001
Nearly half a century ago, President Dwight Eisenhower proclaimed
Thanksgiving as a time when Americans should celebrate "the
plentiful yield of our soil . . . the beauty of our land . . . the
preservation of those ideals of liberty and justice that form the
basis of our national life, and the hope of international peace."
Now, in the painful aftermath of the September 11 attacks and
in the midst of our resolute war on terrorism, President
Eisenhower's hopeful words point us to our collective obligation to
defend the enduring principles of freedom that form the foundation
of our Republic.
During these extraordinary times, we find particular assurance
from our Thanksgiving tradition, which reminds us that we, as a
people and individually, always have reason to hope and trust in
God, despite great adversity.
In 1621 in New England, the
Pilgrims gave thanks to God, in whom they placed their hope, even
though a bitter winter had taken many of their brethren. In
the winter of 1777, General George Washington and his army, having
just suffered great misfortune, stopped near Valley Forge,
Pennsylvania, to give thanks to God. And there, in the throes
of great difficulty, they found the hope they needed to persevere. That hope in freedom eventually inspired them to victory.
In 1789, President Washington, recollecting the countless
blessings for which our new Nation should give thanks, declared the
first National Day of Thanksgiving. And decades later, with
the Nation embroiled in a bloody civil war, President Abraham
Lincoln revived what is now an annual tradition of issuing a
presidential proclamation of Thanksgiving. President Lincoln
asked God to "heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as
soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full
enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity, and Union."
As we recover from the terrible tragedies of September 11,
Americans of every belief and heritage give thanks to God for the
many blessings we enjoy as a free, faithful, and fair-minded land.
Let us particularly give thanks for the self-less sacrifices
of those who responded in service to others after the terrorist
attacks, setting aside their own safety as they reached out to help
their neighbors.
Let us also give thanks for our leaders at
every level who have planned and coordinated the myriad of responses
needed to address this unprecedented national crisis.
And let
us give thanks for the millions of people of faith who have opened
their hearts to those in need with love and prayer, bringing us a
deeper unity and stronger resolve.
In thankfulness and humility, we acknowledge, especially now, our
dependence on One greater than ourselves.
On this day of
Thanksgiving, let our thanksgiving be revealed in the compassionate
support we render to our fellow citizens who are grieving
unimaginable loss; and let us reach out with care to those in need
of food, shelter, and words of hope.
May Almighty God, who is
our refuge and our strength in this time of trouble, watch over our
homeland, protect us, and grant us patience, resolve, and wisdom in
all that is to come.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States
of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the
Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim
Thursday, November 22, 2001, as a National Day of Thanksgiving.
I encourage Americans to assemble in their homes, places of
worship, or community centers to reinforce ties of family and
community, express our profound thanks for the many blessings we
enjoy, and reach out in true gratitude and friendship to our friends
around the world.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this sixteenth
day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand one, and of
the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
twenty-sixth.
GEORGE W. BUSH
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