Thanksgiving Day Proclamation
By the President of the United States of America1999
Well over three and a half centuries ago, strengthened by faith and bound by a common desire for liberty, a small band of Pilgrims sought out a place in the New World where they could worship according to their own beliefs.
Surviving their first harsh winter in Massachusetts and grateful to a merciful
God for a sustaining harvest, the men and women of Plymouth Colony set aside
three days as a time to give thanks for the bounty of their fields, the fruits
of their labor, the chance to live in peace with their Native American
neighbors, and the blessings of a land where they could live and worship
freely.
We have come far on our American journey since that early Thanksgiving. In
the intervening years, we have lived through times of war and peace, years of
poverty and plenty, and seasons of social and political upheaval that have
shaped and forever changed our national character and experience. As we gather
around our Thanksgiving tables again this year, it is a fitting time to
reflect on how the events of our rich history have affected those we care
about and those who came before us. As we acknowledge the past, we do so
knowing that the individual blessings for which we give thanks may have
changed, but our gratitude to God and our commitment to our fellow Americans
remain constant.
Today we count among our national blessings a time of unprecedented
prosperity, with an expanding economy, record low rates of poverty and
unemployment among our people, and the limitless opportunities to improve the
quality of life that new technologies present to us. We can give thanks today
that for the first time in history, more than half the world's people live
under governments of their own choosing. And we remain grateful for the peace
and freedom America continues to enjoy thanks to the courage and patriotism of
our men and women in uniform.
But the spirit of Thanksgiving requires more than just an acknowledgement
of our blessings; it calls upon us to reach out and share those blessings with
others. We must strive to fulfill the promise of the extraordinary era in
which we live and enter the new century with a commitment to widen the circle
of opportunity, break down the prejudices that alienate us from one another,
and build an America of understanding and inclusion, strong in our diversity,
responsible in our freedom, and generous in sharing our bounty with those in
need.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, 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 25, 1999, as a
National Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage all the people of the United States
to assemble in their homes, places of worship, or community centers to share
the spirit of fellowship and prayer and to reinforce the ties of family and
community; to express heartfelt thanks to God for the many blessings He has
bestowed upon us; and to reach out in true gratitude and friendship to our
brothers and sisters in the larger family of humankind.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twentieth day of
November, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-nine, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
twenty-fourth.
WILLIAM J. CLINTON
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1999 Presidential Proclamation
1996 Presidential Proclamation
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