Thanksgiving Day, 2001

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Part VIII

The President

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Proclamation 7504--Thanksgiving Day, 2001

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 7504 of November 16, 2001

Thanksgiving Day, 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 selfless 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.

(Presidential Sig.)B