Thanksgiving Day, 2003

Proclamation 7738 of November 21, 2003

Thanksgiving Day, 2003

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Each year on Thanksgiving, we gather with family and
friends to thank God for the many blessings He has
given us, and we ask God to continue to guide and watch
over our country.

Almost 400 years ago, after surviving their first
winter at Plymouth, the Pilgrims celebrated a harvest
feast to give thanks. George Washington proclaimed the
first National Day of Thanksgiving in 1789, and Abraham
Lincoln revived the tradition during the Civil War.
Since that time, our citizens have paused to express
thanks for the bounty of blessings we enjoy and to
spend time with family and friends. In want or in
plenty, in times of challenge or times of calm, we
always have reasons to be thankful.

America is a land of abundance, prosperity, and hope.
We must never take for granted the things that make our
country great: a firm foundation of freedom, justice,
and equality; a belief in democracy and the rule of
law; and our fundamental rights to gather, speak, and
worship freely.

These liberties do not come without cost. Throughout
history, many have sacrificed to preserve our freedoms
and to defend peace around the world. Today, the brave
men and women of our military continue this noble
tradition. These heroes and their loved ones have the
gratitude of our Nation.

On this day, we also remember those less fortunate
among us. They are our neighbors and our fellow
citizens, and we are committed to reaching out to them
and to all of those in need in our communities.

This Thanksgiving, we again give thanks for all of our
blessings and for the freedoms we enjoy every day. Our
Founders thanked the Almighty and humbly sought His
wisdom and blessing. May we always live by that same
trust, and may God continue to watch over and bless the
United States of America.

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 27, 2003,
as a National Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage
Americans to gather in their homes, places of worship,
and community centers to share the spirit of
understanding and prayer and to reinforce ties of
family and community.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-first day of November, in the year of our Lord
two thousand three, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and twenty-
eighth.

(Presidential Sig.)B