The text of the George Washington's "Thanksgiving Proclamation" was circulated lately by a a friend of mine and a local leader of the Tea Party Liberty Movement.
I cannot describe how inspirnig and moving I find this proclamation to be.
The Thanksgiving dinner table in my home this year will consist of my wife and me, and a collection of family and guests of widely varying degrees of piety and patriotic sensitivity. Once the table is set and we're all assembled and seated, in lieu of the typical discussion of the Pilgrims etc. I mean to read this Proclamation aloud. And I shall invite anyone so inclined to consider it a prayer.
Happy Thanksgiving, to all my Appleseed family,
-FM / Gordon
General Thanksgiving
By the PRESIDENT of the United States Of America
A PROCLAMATION
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 single favors of Almighty God, especially by 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 sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the single 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 peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish Constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted;- 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 several and relative 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 protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness unto us); and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.
GIVEN under my hand, at the city of New York, the third day of October, in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine.
(signed) G. Washington
Source: The Massachusetts Centinel, Wednesday, October 14, 1789
Thank you for sharing this, FM.
I knew nothing about it, courtesy of the public school curricula.
Washington put it well.
A sincere, joyous, and happy Thanksgiving to you all.
Praise God from Whom all blessings flow.
Reformed Redneck
Thanks for posting, Fuzzy! Great read! ;)
Excellent! Thanks, FuzzyMath. O0
Nice stuff. Thanks.
Thanks for the posting FM. O0 O0 O0 O0
Tom
Thanks for posting. I reposted it on Facebook.
Thanx FM -- we read it in honor of thanksgiving and of course the savior.
JA
Good stuff.
FM... :bow: for posting.