For Immediate Release
November 21, 2003
President's Thanksgiving Message
Proclamation by the President: Thanksgiving Day, 2003
In Focus: Thanksgiving
Each year on Thanksgiving, we gather with family and friends to
thank God for the many blessings He has given us, and we ask God to
continue to guide and watch over our country.
Almost 400 years ago, after surviving their first winter at
Plymouth, the Pilgrims celebrated a harvest feast to give thanks.
George Washington proclaimed the first National Day of Thanksgiving in
1789, and Abraham Lincoln revived the tradition during the Civil War.
Since that time, our citizens have paused to express thanks for the
bounty of blessings we enjoy and to spend time with family and
friends. In want or in plenty, in times of challenge or times of calm,
we always have reasons to be thankful.
America is a land of abundance, prosperity, and hope. We must
never take for granted the things that make our country great: a firm
foundation of freedom, justice, and equality; a belief in democracy and
the rule of law; and our fundamental rights to gather, speak, and
worship freely.
These liberties do not come without cost. Throughout history, many
have sacrificed to preserve our freedoms and to defend peace around the
world. Today, the brave men and women of our military continue this
noble tradition. These heroes and their loved ones have the gratitude
of our Nation.
On this day, we also remember those less fortunate among us. They
are our neighbors and our fellow citizens, and we are committed to
reaching out to them and to all of those in need in our communities.
This Thanksgiving, we again give thanks for all of our blessings
and for the freedoms we enjoy every day. Our Founders thanked the
Almighty and humbly sought His wisdom and blessing. May we always live
by that same trust, and may God continue to watch over and bless the
United States of America.
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
27, 2003, as a National Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage Americans to
gather in their homes, places of worship, and community centers to
share the spirit of understanding and prayer and to reinforce ties of
family and community.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-first
day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand three, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
twenty-eighth.
GEORGE W. BUSH
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