Thanksgiving Proclaimed

Proclamations Over the Years

Each Fall, the President of the United States proclaims a national Day of Thanksgiving. This past year, President Bush did so on November 18, enumerating various reasons for gratitude, followed by: "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 24, 2005, as a National Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage all Americans to gather together in their homes and places of worship with family, friends, and loved ones to reinforce the ties that bind us and give thanks for the freedoms and many blessings we enjoy." (For the full text, click here.)

It has been so every Fall for a long time, but it was not always so. Before independence, there was no nation-state and thus no national proclamation. Religious authorities or colonial governors declared days of thanksgiving in times of success, and of fasting in times of hardship. Over time, the right or custom was assumed by political authorities. In 1777 the Continental Congress declared a national day of thanksgiving in celebration of a military victory over the British. In 1789, Washington issued the first presidential proclamation of Thanksgiving, and another in 1795. His successor, John Adams, also issued two, but Thomas Jefferson objected to the custom and broke with it. There were few national Thanksgiving proclamations before the Civil War; Abraham Lincoln's in 1863 marks the beginning of the modern presidential proclamation, a string unbroken for 143 years ever since. The Confederacy also declared Thanksgivings.

This section of the site presents the texts of a variety of proclamations, and other documents relating to them (such as Jefferson's objections). As with the rest of the site, it is in construction; if interested, please revisit often for new material. We also welcome your suggestions of other materials for the site; to send us an email, click here; or phone 434 924-9946.

Colonial Governor Jonathan Belcher's Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1730
Colonial Governor Jonathan Belcher (1682-1757) of Massachusetts, issued the following proclamation for a Day of Public Thanksgiving, printed in The New England Weekly Journal, No.189, November 2, 1730. To visit an extensive Web site on Belcher's thought, writing, and career, click here.

By His EXCELLENCY JONATHAN BELCHER, Esq; Captain General and GOVERNOR in Chief in and over His Majesty's Province of the MASSACHUSETTS BAY in NEW ENGLAND.

    A Proclamation for a Public THANKSGIVING.

WHEREAS it hath pleased Almighty GOD (notwithstanding the provocation of His holy displeasure by our sins, testified in divers instances, and particularly in the late infectious and mortal distemper [small pox]) to favor us with many undeserved blessings in the course of this year, which do justly demand our humble adoration and thankful acknowledgment of the Divine goodness.

I have therefore thought fit, with the advice of His Majesty's Council, to appoint THURSDAY the TWELFTH of NOVEMBER next, a day of Public THANKSGIVING throughout this Province, hereby exhorting both ministers and people in their several assemblies, religiously to solemnize the same by offering up their sincere and grateful PRAISES for the manifold blessings and favors which GOD of His undeserved goodness hath conferred upon us; PARTICULARLY, in continuing to us the invaluable life of Our Sovereign Lord the KING, with His Royal Consort Our Most Gracious QUEEN, His Royal Highness the PRINCE OF WALES, and the rest of the royal issue; In succeeding His Majesty's wise councils FOR RESTORING and establishing the peace of EUROPE; In prolonging the ecclesiastical and civil privileges of this people; In granting his gracious conduct and assistance in the administration of the civil government of this Province; In restoring HEALTH to many of our towns lately visited with a contagious distemper [small pox], and preserving others from the infection thereof; In maintaining our PEACE with the Indian Natives, and granting us a plentiful HARVEST, in giving success to our MERCHANDISE AND FISHERY, and protecting it from the insults and ravages of PIRATES, with other numberless instances of the Divine beneficence: And all servile labor is prohibited on the said Day.

GIVEN AT THE COUNCIL CHAMBER IN Roxbury the FOURTEENTH Day of October 1730. In the Fourth Year of the Reign of Our Sovereign Lord GEORGE the Second, by the Grace of GOD of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, KING, DEFENDER OF THE FAITH, and etc.

By His Excellency's Command, with the Advice of the Council,

                                                                                                J. BELCHER.

Josiah Willard, Secr.

    GOD save the King.

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Colonial Governor Jonathan Belcher's Proclamation of a General Fast (1735)
Colonial Governor Belcher actually issued only one Thanksgiving proclamation, in 1730 (see above); over the following five years, there were three occasions when he declared a public day of fasting and prayer. The text reproduced below, from 1735, is a striking example of the days—referred to variously, or in combination, as days of fasting, prayer, or humiliation—that in colonial times were proclaimed in times of difficulty, constituting a sort of counterpoint to days of thanksgiving declared in other years. To visit an extensive Web site on Belcher's thought, writing, and career, click here.

By His EXCELLENCY JONATHAN BELCHER, Esq; Captain General and Governor in Chief in and over His Majesty's Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England

A Proclamation for a general FAST.

    UPON consideration of the holy anger of Almighty GOD evidently manifested in the various judgments inflicted on us (more especially in sending among us a mortal sickness , which has already greatly wasted our numbers, and threatens yet more terrible effects unless prevented by the merciful imposition of Providence), upon consideration likewise of our absolute dependance on the blessing of GOD for success in the interests and affairs of the spring and summer ensuing:

    I have thought fit, with the advice of His Majesty's Council, to order and appoint Thursday the first day of April next to be observed as a day of solemn fasting and prayer throughout the Province, thereby exhorting both ourselves and people religiously to attend the duties of the said day by sincere and penitent confession of their manifold sins, whereby GOD has been provoked to visit this people with sore and grievous calamities, and by humble and earnest supplications to the GOD of all grace for averting the tokens of His righteous displeasure and conferring on us all needful favors: In particular, that He would long preserve the life of our sovereign lord the KING and our most gracious QUEEN, together with His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, the Duke, and the other branches of the Royal Family; That He would grant His merciful influence and conduct to His Majesty's Councils for the continuance of the peace of his kingdoms and dominions, and for the restoring of peace to Europe, under His Majesty's wise mediation; That He would please to direct and bless the administration of the government of this Province; That He would give us a favorable seed time and in due season, a plentiful harvest; That He would prosper our trade and navigation and maintain the peace of our sea coasts and inland borders, and that He would compassionate [have compassion on] our great distress under the wasting and mortal sickness by sanctifying this awful visitation and restoring to us the voice of health. And above all , that He would grant unto us the plentiful effusions of the HOLY SPIRIT, that the sense of His righteous displeasure against us may effect a general repentance and reformation throughout our whole land, and the kingdom of our Lord and Savior JESUS CHRIST may come and the whole earth be filled with His glory. And all servile labor and recreations are hereby forbidden on said day.

    Given at the Council Chamber in Boston the twenty-sixth day of February, 1735, in the ninth year of the reign of Our Sovereign Lord GEORGE the Second, by the grace of GOD, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, KING, Defender of the Faith, etc.

    By His Excellency's Command,

    with the Advice of the Council,

    J. Willard , Secretary  J. BELCHER.

    GOD save the KING.

BOSTON: Printed by J. Draper, Printer to His Excellency the GOVERNOR and COUNCIL.

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Thanksgiving Proclamation by the Continental Congress (1777)
The Continental Congress's declaration of a national day of Thanksgiving was the first such act extending to all the states, which were then thirteen. The cause for expressions of gratitude was special and historic, rather than general or abstract: the victory of the Revolutionary troops (under the command of Gen. Benedict Arnold of later infamy) over the British at Saratoga. Maj. Gen. John Burgoyne's surrender came on October 17, and the Congress's declaration two weeks later set December 18 as the date for national celebration.

IN CONGRESS
November 1, 1777

FORASMUCH as it is the indispensable Duty of all Men to adore the superintending Providence of Almighty God; to acknowledge with Gratitude their Obligation to him for Benefits received, and to implore such farther Blessings as they stand in Need of: And it having pleased him in his abundant Mercy, not only to continue to us the innumerable Bounties of his common Providence; but also to smile upon us in the Prosecution of a just and necessary War, for the Defense and Establishment of our unalienable Rights and Liberties; particularly in that he hath been pleased, in so great a Measure, to prosper the Means used for the Support of our Troops, and to crown our Arms with most signal success:

It is therefore recommended to the legislative or executive Powers of these UNITED STATES to set apart THURSDAY, the eighteenth Day of December next, for SOLEMN THANKSGIVING and PRAISE: That at one Time and with one Voice, the good People may express the grateful Feelings of their Hearts, and consecrate themselves to the Service of their Divine Benefactor; and that, together with their sincere Acknowledgments and Offerings, they may join the penitent Confession of their manifold Sins, whereby they had forfeited every Favor; and their humble and earnest Supplication that it may please GOD through the Merits of JESUS CHRIST, mercifully to forgive and blot them out of Remembrance; That it may please him graciously to afford his Blessing on the Governments of these States respectively, and prosper the public Council of the whole: To inspire our Commanders, both by Land and Sea, and all under them, with that Wisdom and Fortitude which may render them fit Instruments, under the Providence of Almighty GOD, to secure for these United States, the greatest of all human Blessings, INDEPENDENCE and PEACE: That it may please him, to prosper the Trade and Manufactures of the People, and the Labor of the Husbandman, that our Land may yield its Increase: To take Schools and Seminaries of Education, so necessary for cultivating the Principles of true Liberty, Virtue and Piety, under his nurturing Hand; and to prosper the Means of Religion, for the promotion and enlargement of that Kingdom, which consisteth "in Righteousness, Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost."

And it is further recommended, That servile Labor, and such Recreation, as, though at other Times innocent, may be unbecoming the Purpose of this Appointment, be omitted on so solemn an Occasion.

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George Washington's Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1789
The first president of the United States also issued the first Thanksgiving Proclamation, on October 3, setting the celebration for November 26, the fourth Thursday in November that year.

THANKSGIVING DAY 1789
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 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 26th 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 signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his providence, which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war—for the great degree of tranquillity, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed—for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled 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 hath 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 shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, 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 1789.

GO. WASHINGTON.

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Draft of Thomas Jefferson's "Danbury Letter" (1802)
Unlike Washington and Adams, the third president refused to proclaim any national Day of Thanksgiving. In a famous letter to the Danbury Baptist Association in Connecticut, he put forward his reasons. The text below is for a draft, and details some of the changes he made as he worked on the letter. The phrase "wall of eternal separation between Church & State," which was retained in the final version of the letter, became one of his most famous. To read the text of the final letter as sent, click here. To read an article by Library of Congress exhibit curator James Hutson, click here.

To messers Nehemiah Dodge, Ephraim Robbins, & Stephen S. Nelson, a committee of the Danbury Baptist association in the state of Connecticut.

Gentlemen

The affectionate sentiments of esteem & approbation which you are so good as to express towards me, on behalf of the Danbury Baptist association, give me the highest satisfaction. my duties dictate a faithful & zealous pursuit of the interests of my constituents, and, in proportion as they are persuaded of my fidelity to those duties, the discharge of them becomes more & more pleasing.

Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man & his god, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;" thus building a wall of eternal separation between Church & State. Congress thus inhibited from acts respecting religion, and the Executive authorised only to execute their acts, I have refrained from prescribing even those occasional performances of devotion, practiced indeed by the Executive of another nation as the legal head of its church, but subject here, as religious exercises only to the voluntary regulations and discipline of each respective sect,

[Jefferson first wrote: " confining myself therefore to the duties of my station, which are merely temporal, be assured that your religious rights shall never be infringed by any act of mine and that. " These lines he crossed out and then wrote: " concurring with "; having crossed out these two words, he wrote: " Adhering to this great act of national legislation in behalf of the rights of conscience "; next he crossed out these words and wrote: " Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience I shall see with friendly dispositions the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced that he has no natural rights in opposition to his social duties. "]

I reciprocate your kind prayers for the protection & blessing of the common father and creator of man, and tender you for yourselves & the Danbury Baptist [ your religious ] association assurances of my high respect & esteem.

Th Jefferson
Jan. 1. 1802

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Confederate President Jefferson Davis's Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1861
The Confederate States of America came into being February 4, 1861, one month before Lincoln's inauguration. The text of the first Thanksgiving Proclamation issued by the president of the Confederacy, is reproduced here. To see this text as it appears on the Web site of the Albert Sidney Johnston Camp #67 (Houston, Texas) of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, click here. Following the text, the site notes: "By the way, that was a full two years before Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving proclamation October 3, 1863."

 A THANKSGIVING PROCLAMATION, 1861

WHEREAS, it hath pleased Almighty God, the Sovereign Disposer of events, to protect and defend us hitherto in our conflicts with our enemies as to be unto them a shield.

And whereas, with grateful thanks we recognize His hand and acknowledge that not unto us, but unto Him, belongeth the victory, and in humble dependence upon His almighty strength, and trusting in the justness of our purpose, we appeal to Him that He may set at naught the efforts of our enemies, and humble them to confusion and shame.

Now therefore, I, Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States, in view of impending conflict, do hereby set apart Friday, the 15th day of November, as a day of national humiliation and prayer, and do hereby invite the reverend clergy and the people of these Confederate States to repair on that day to their homes and usual places of public worship, and to implore blessing of Almighty God upon our people, that he may give us victory over our enemies, preserve our homes and altars from pollution, and secure to us the restoration of peace and prosperity.

Given under hand and seal of the Confederate States at Richmond, this the 31st day of October, year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and sixty one.

By the President, JEFFERSON DAVIS

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Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1863
The sixteenth president's proclamation of October 3, 1863 was actually his third; he had issued proclamations in April 1862 and August 1863. The reason the following is usually considered to be the first modern presidential proclamation of Thanksgiving is that with it began an unbroken string of such acts, always setting a late-November date for the celebration.

THANKSGIVING DAY 1863
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA—A PROCLAMATION

The year that is drawing toward 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 can not 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 theater of military conflict, while that theater 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 defense have not arrested the plow, the shuttle, or the ship; the ax 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 battlefield, and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness 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 if, as soon as may be consistent with the divine purpose, 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 3d day of October A.D. 1863, and of the Independence of the United States the eighty-eighth.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN

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Herbert Hoover's Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1930
This Thanksgiving proclamation was the first made after the onset of the Great Depression. The one reference to the economic crisis, in the third paragraph, is a call for help to those suffering need "from causes beyond their control."

THANKSGIVING DAY—1930
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA—A PROCLAMATION

Notwithstanding that our forefathers endured the hardships and privations of a primitive life, surrounded by dangers and solaced only with meager comforts, they nevertheless bequeathed to us a custom of devoting one day of every year to universal thanksgiving to Almighty God, for the blessing of life itself and the means to sustain it, for the sanctuary of home and the joys that pervade it, and for the mercies of His protection from accident, sickness, or death.

Our country has many causes for thanksgiving. We have been blest with distinctive evidence of divine favor. As a nation we have suffered far less than other peoples from the present world difficulties. We have been free from civil and industrial discord. The outlook for peace between nations has been strengthened. In a large view we have made progress upon the enduring structure of our institutions. The arts and sciences that enrich our lives and enlarge our control of nature have made notable advances. Education has been further extended. We have made gains in the prevention of disease and in the protection of childhood.

Now, therefore, I, Herbert Hoover, President of the United States of America, do hereby designate Thursday, November 27, 1930, as a National Day of Thanksgiving, and do enjoin the people of the United States so to observe it, calling upon them to remember that many of our people are in need and suffering from causes beyond their control, and suggesting that a proper celebration of the day should include that we make sure that every person in the community, young and old, shall have cause to give thanks for our institutions and for the neighborly sentiment of our people.

In witness 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 6 th day of November, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and thirty, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and fifty-fifth.

HERBERT HOOVER

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Franklin D. Roosevelt's Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1933
FDR's Thanksgiving proclamation of 1933 was the first of his presidency.

THANKSGIVING DAY—1933
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA—A PROCLAMATION

I, Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United States of America, do set aside and appoint Thursday, the thirtieth day of November 1933, to be a Day of Thanksgiving for all our people.

May we on that day in our churches and in our homes give humble thanks for the blessings bestowed upon us during the year past by Almighty God.

May we recall the courage of those who settled a wilderness, the vision of those who founded the Nation, the steadfastness of those who in every succeeding generation have fought to keep pure the ideal of equality of opportunity and hold clear the goal of mutual help in time of prosperity as in time of adversity.

May we ask guidance in more surely learning the ancient truth that greed and selfishness and striving for undue riches can never bring lasting happiness or good to the individual or to his neighbors.

May we be grateful for the passing of dark days; for the new spirit of dependence one on another; for the closer unity of all parts of our wide land; for the greater friendship between employers and those who toil; for a clearer knowledge by all nations that we seek no conquests and ask only honorable engagements by all peoples to respect the lands and rights of their neighbors; for the brighter day to which we can win through by seeking the help of God in a more unselfish striving for the common bettering of mankind.

In witness 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 twenty-first day of November, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and thirty-three and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and fifty-eighth.

FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT

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"Roosevelt to Move Thanksgiving; Retailers for It, Plymouth Is Not." New York Times (1939).
The full title of this Associated Press story, which appeared in the August 15, 1939 editions of the Times, contained the following additional subtitle: "Football Schedule Makers Also Get a Headache, With Season Set to End With Fifth Thursday in November." The text was followed in that day's Times with another AP story (reproduced here in its entirety) and a third story based on AP reports (reproduced here in part).

CAMPOBELLO ISLAND, N. B., Aug. 14—President Roosevelt announced today that he was shattering another precedent and moving up the date of Thanksgiving this year from Nov. 30 to Nov. 23.

Explaining his decision during an informal press conference at his boyhood Summer cottage here, the President said that in the last six years many persons, most of them retailers, had urged him to shift the annual feast day from the traditional last Thursday of November to some earlier date. They had contended that Thanksgiving Day came too close to Christmas and that there was no break between Labor Day, early in September, and Christmas.

The only intervening day of celebration was Columbus Day, Oct. 12, and that one was observed in some states only, the President explained. Because the last Thursday of the month occurred this year on Nov. 30, Mr. Roosevelt said, he had decided to grant the request.

The President emphasized that the day of thanksgiving was not a national holiday and that there was nothing sacred about the date, as it was only since the Civil War that the last Thursday of November was chosen for observance.
—
PLYMOUTH, Mass., Aug. 14—James Frasier, chairman of the Selectmen of this town, where Thanksgiving Day was first observed, said tonight that he "heartily disapproved" President Roosevelt's announced plan to proclaim the November holiday a week early this year.

The town official said he would put the matter before the Selectmen officially at their next meeting. He declared that he was opposed to having Thanksgiving Day changed from the traditional last Thursday in November, "because we here in Plymouth consider the day sacred."

"Plymouth and Thanksgiving are almost synonymous and merchants or no merchants I can't see any reason for changing it," Mr. Frasier asserted.

He said he thought that the historical and antiquarian societies in this first home of the Pilgrims and the townsfolk as well would voice disapproval of the President's plan.
—
President Roosevelt's plan to move Thanksgiving Day ahead a week provided a headache last night for football schedule makers, according to The Associated Press.

If he goes ahead with his idea of proclaiming Nov. 23 as the feast day they will find their classic events relegated to a mere late Thursday in November.

All over the country football games arranged well in advance are booked for Nov. 30, or Thanksgiving Day, as the schedule-makers thought. In the East there are Fordham-New York University in the annual "Battle of the Bronx," Cornell-Pennsylvania and others of equal drawing power.

To shift them to the proposed new Thanksgiving date, Nov. 23, might mean playing two games in three days or even three within seven days if there are engagements on the preceding and following Saturdays.
. . .

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Franklin D. Roosevelt's Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1940
FDR's 1940 proclamation was the second since the outbreak of the Second World War, and also the second to set an earlier date for the Thanksgiving holiday—the third, rather than last, Thursday in November. The president's rationale was to extend the length of the Christmas shopping season and thus help the economy. The move was highly unpopular and lasted only two years, after which a compromise was reached: Congress mandated that the federal declaration each November be for the fourth Thursday, and so it has remained since.

THANKSGIVING DAY—1940
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA—A PROCLAMATION

I, FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT, President of the United States of America, do hereby designate Thursday, the twenty-first day of November 1940, to be observed nationally as a day of thanksgiving.

In a year which has seen calamity and sorrow fall upon many peoples elsewhere in the world may we give thanks for our preservation.

On the same day, in the same hour, let us pray:

Almighty God, who hast given us this good land for our heritage; We humbly beseech Thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of Thy favor and glad to do Thy will. Bless our land with honourable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogancy, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in Thy Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to Thy law, we may show forth Thy praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in Thee to fail; Amen.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States of America to be affixed.
DONE at the City of Washington this 9 th day of November, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and forty, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and sixty-fifth.

FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT

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George W. Bush's Thanksgiving Proclamation of 2001
The following Thanksgiving proclamation was the first issued after the acts of terrorism of September 11, 2001.

THANKSGIVING DAY, 2001
November 16, 2001
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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George W. Bush's Thanksgiving Proclamation of 2005
The first president of the United States also issued the first Thanksgiving Proclamation, on October 3, setting the celebration for November 26, the fourth Thursday in November that year. To see the text as it appears on the White House's Web site, click here.

THANKSGIVING DAY 2005
A PROCLAMATION BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Thanksgiving Day is a time to remember our many blessings and to celebrate the opportunities that freedom affords. Explorers and settlers arriving in this land often gave thanks for the extraordinary plenty they found. And today, we remain grateful to live in a country of liberty and abundance. We give thanks for the love of family and friends, and we ask God to continue to watch over America.

This Thanksgiving, we pray and express thanks for the men and women who work to keep America safe and secure. Members of our Armed Forces, State and local law enforcement, and first responders embody our Nation's highest ideals of courage and devotion to duty. Our country is grateful for their service and for the support and sacrifice of their families. We ask God's special blessings on those who have lost loved ones in the line of duty.

We also remember those affected by the destruction of natural disasters. Their tremendous determination to recover their lives exemplifies the American spirit, and we are grateful for those across our Nation who answered the cries of their neighbors in need and provided them with food, shelter, and a helping hand. We ask for continued strength and perseverance as we work to rebuild these communities and return hope to our citizens.

We give thanks to live in a country where freedom reigns, justice prevails, and hope prospers. We recognize that America is a better place when we answer the universal call to love a neighbor and help those in need. May God bless and guide the United States of America as we move forward.

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 24, 2005, as a National Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage all Americans to gather together in their homes and places of worship with family, friends, and loved ones to reinforce the ties that bind us and give thanks for the freedoms and many blessings we enjoy.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirtieth.

GEORGE W. BUSH

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