Federally Sanctioned Day of Prayer!

[Robert Braun]

Ready for some Thanksgiving history?

The First Thanksgiving Proclamation
issued by President George Washington

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 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 twenty-sixth 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 service 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 tranquility, union and plenty which we have since enjoyed; 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 has 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 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 promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue and the increase of science among us; and generally, to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows best.

Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the third day of October, A.D. 1789
George Washington

The second Thanksgiving Proclaimation--

By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they 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 next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand 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.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.
Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln
William H. Seward,
Secretary of State

History further records that in 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving to the third Thursday of November (reportedly to extend the Christmas shopping season and boost the economy!) After a storm of protest, by 1941 had Roosevelt restored the holiday to the fourth Thursday in November, where it stands today.

Happy Thanksgiving... a Federally-sanctioned day of prayer! Be sure to pass this information on to your kids, so that the schools can be reminded of the significance of a day too many have secularized into "Turkey Day." While you're at it, pull a quarter out of your pocket and point out to your kids that time-honored phrase: "In God We Trust." Hey.. doesn't that coin say "United States of America" on it??? How can that be?

Certainly, a country as great and good and the United States can set aside ONE DAY out of the year to give thanks for the bounty we enjoy?

As George Washington observed, indeed we should. Please accept our wish for a blessed and truly happy Thanksgiving!

Bob.

[Robert Braun]

The History Channel (and I remain puzzled as to why they cling to that anachronistic name...because so much of what they present isn't history) did a nice job of cherry-picking topics for their version of the "History of Thnanksgiving" in yesterday's broadcast.

Yielding to the omnipotent religious-based observance as indicated by the Pilgrims (I guess the facts here were too overwhealming to ignore)... the thread of the program couldn't wait to change the context of the observance from a religious-based celebration that included a feast, to that of just the feast (with a smattering of family fellowship thrown in for good measure.)

Case and point: The narrator indicated that prior to Lincoln's proclaimation, state governors pronounced the date of a given year's observance in annual proclaimations of ther own. This context, while technically true, ignored the BASIS for the observance on a broader scale--- President Washington's 1789 proclaimation.

In fact, the episode used a rapidly scrolling graphic of the 1789 proclaimation without ANY reference to it whatever!

This means that the History Channel certainly KNEW of the 1789 proclaimation and at least glanced at the contents. Giving Washington's 1789 proclaimation a pass meant they didn;t have to deal with two very thorny issues:

1. Washington's statement that: ...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.. Hmmm.. it is the DUTY of all nations! Doesn't sound like an option. And this isn't some guy from Wisconsin talking. This is George Washington... our first president! The guy on the dollar bill! The so-called "Father of our Country!"

2. The fact than BOTH HOUSES of CONGRESS wanted 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... Oh my goodness! There's that "G" word again!

The reason for this ommision is clear. Rather than tell the story based on the findings from the historical record, the History Channel is intent on stripping away the clear and unambiguous religious basis for the holiday. And thanks to their willing accomplices in the retail market place and the prestiege press, they are well-advanced in eroding the the very purpose for the observance.

But this doesn't necessarily mean that the true meaning and intent behind Thanksgiving has to change for YOU and your family!

Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Bob.

[Larry Koschkee]

Hello Bob,

This reply to your thread is somewhat belated, but I wanted you to know that as part of the "silent majority," my family and I accept your heart-felt wish for a happy Thanksgiving based on the reasons Washington proclaimed.

As a result of my activist ideals, I promised my wife, many years ago, not to talk politics or religion unless it is with a close confidant. So... will leave it there.

In closing, I would like to expand on your Thanksgiving history.

Washington knew the value of a thanksgiving day long before becoming our first president. During the Revoluntionary War, he would order special thanksgiving services for his troops after successful battles, as well as publicly endorse efforts by the Continental Congress to proclaim days of thanks, usually in recognition of military victories and alliances.

Most of us were taught in the grade schools that the origin of Thanksgiving was attributed to the Pilgrims. Colonists even before the Pilgrims often established "Thank Days" to mark certain occasions. These one-time events could occur at any time of the year and were usually more solemn than the Thanksgiving we observe today, emphasizing prayer and spiritual reflection.

Historians agree that George Washington first mentioned the possibillity of a national Thanksgiving Day in a confidential letter to James Madison in August 1789, asking for his advice on approaching the Senate for their opinion on "a day of thanksgiving." This is important... the first President of the United States, burdened with a great responsibility to lead our young nation, and just months after taking office, feels deeply about a day of thanksgiving to be set aside for the Republic.

By the end of September 1789, a resolution bad been introduced to the House of Rrepresentatives requesting that a joint committee of both Houses be directed to wait upon the President of the United States, to request that he would recommed to the people of the United States, a day of public thanksgiving. The committee put the resolution before the president and George Washington issued the first national Thanksgiving Proclamation within days.

This proclamation stated in the beginning of this thread was printed in newspapers, including the October 9, 1789 issue of the Pennsylvania Packet and Daily Advertiser.

MANY THANKS - BOB

Larry Koschkee