For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
November 16, 2001
Thanksgiving Day Proclamation
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
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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