Thanksgiving Day, 2015

Proclamation 9372 of November 20, 2015

Thanksgiving Day, 2015

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Rooted in a story of generosity and partnership,
Thanksgiving offers an opportunity for us to express
our gratitude for the gifts we have and to show our
appreciation for all we hold dear. Today, as we give of
ourselves in service to others and spend cherished time
with family and friends, we give thanks for the many
blessings bestowed upon us. We also honor the men and
women in uniform who fight to safeguard our country and
our freedoms so we can share occasions like this with
loved ones, and we thank our selfless military families
who stand beside and support them each and every day.

Our modern celebration of Thanksgiving can be traced
back to the early 17th century. Upon arriving in
Plymouth, at the culmination of months of testing
travel that resulted in death and disease, the Pilgrims
continued to face great challenges. An indigenous
people, the Wampanoag, helped them adjust to their new
home, teaching them critical survival techniques and
important crop cultivation methods. After securing a
bountiful harvest, the settlers and Wampanoag joined in
fellowship for a shared dinner to celebrate powerful
traditions that are still observed at Thanksgiving
today: lifting one another up, enjoying time with those
around us, and appreciating all that we have.

Carrying us through trial and triumph, this sense of
decency and compassion has defined our Nation.
President George Washington proclaimed the first
Thanksgiving in our country's nascence, calling on the
citizens of our fledgling democracy to place their
faith in ``the providence of Almighty God,'' and to be
thankful for what is bequeathed to us. In the midst of
bitter division at a critical juncture for America,
President Abraham Lincoln acknowledged the plight of
the most vulnerable, declaring a ``day of
thanksgiving,'' on which all citizens would ``commend
to [God's] tender care'' those most affected by the
violence of the time--widows, orphans, mourners, and
sufferers of the Civil War. A tradition of giving
continues to inspire this holiday, and at shelters and
food centers, on battlefields and city streets, and
through generous donations and silent prayers, the
inherent selflessness and common goodness of the
American people endures.

In the same spirit of togetherness and thanksgiving
that inspired the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag, we pay
tribute to people of every background and belief who
contribute in their own unique ways to our country's
story. Each of us brings our own traditions, cultures,
and recipes to this quintessential American holiday--
whether around dinner tables, in soup kitchens, or at
home cheering on our favorite sports teams--but we are
all united in appreciation of the bounty of our Nation.
Let us express our gratitude by welcoming others to our
celebrations and recognize those who volunteer today to
ensure a dinner is possible for those who might have
gone without. Together, we can secure our founding
ideals as the birthright of all future generations of
Americans.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim November 26, 2015,

as a National Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage the
people of the United States to join together--whether
in our homes, places of worship, community centers, or
any place of fellowship for friends and neighbors--and
give thanks for all we have received in the past year,
express appreciation to those whose lives enrich our
own, and share our bounty with others.

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