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 favour; 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 PUBLICK THANSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal 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 thanksfor 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 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 favours 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 publick 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 shewn 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

 

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This proclaimation is surprisingly appropriate for us today, with the upcoming holiday as well as the recent presidential election. We are indeed the most blessed of people, perhaps of all places and all times. We are in the most free nation of the world, the strongest nation in the world, and perhaps the most historically Christian nation in the world. We have experienced the blessings of God and benefits of millions lives given in the cause of liberty. America is truly a blessed land.

 

In addition, we live in an age where freedom and individualism are not only tolerated but idealized more than ever before (even to a fault). Only two hundred years ago and in a place as inlightened as London, England, one could be harshly persecuted for something as simple as wearing different clothing. It actually happened! A man thought that a high silk “stovepipe” hat would look good, and decided to wear one while walking down the street in London. An angry mob soon gathered about and attacked him with fists, beat him with sticks, kicked him, and threw stones and rotten eggs. His clothes were stripped off him, and he barely escaped with his life! This was not just a freak incident, but reflects the society and belief system of that day. It is hard for us to understand such thinking, but this man had commited a great crime just by looking different. Free thinking was looked upon as a threat to society, and could not be tolerated. If such could be the consequences of different clothes, what would be the consequences of a different kind of religion? We all know the answer. No wonder George Washington was so thankful for America, and so should we. Let us not take our freedom for granted, for it was not free.


And yet we have just elected a president who wants to undermine some of the fundamentals of freedom: the right to free speech, the right to one's own posessions, the right to keep and bear arms and self defense. Things so foundational as the right to express one's opionion anonymously to avoid persecution (secret ballot) may be at risk. This is only the culmination of many “national and other transgressions” for which we must, as George Washington, plead for pardon and beg for mercy, with belief in the past and hope for the future.