Thanksgiving Day, 2011

Vol. 76

Monday,

No. 224

November 21, 2011

Part III

The President

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Proclamation 8755--Thanksgiving Day, 2011

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 8755 of November 16, 2011

Thanksgiving Day, 2011

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

One of our Nation's oldest and most cherished
traditions, Thanksgiving Day brings us closer to our
loved ones and invites us to reflect on the blessings
that enrich our lives. The observance recalls the
celebration of an autumn harvest centuries ago, when
the Wampanoag tribe joined the Pilgrims at Plymouth
Colony to share in the fruits of a bountiful season.
The feast honored the Wampanoag for generously
extending their knowledge of local game and agriculture
to the Pilgrims, and today we renew our gratitude to
all American Indians and Alaska Natives. We take this
time to remember the ways that the First Americans have
enriched our Nation's heritage, from their generosity
centuries ago to the everyday contributions they make
to all facets of American life. As we come together
with friends, family, and neighbors to celebrate, let
us set aside our daily concerns and give thanks for the
providence bestowed upon us.

Though our traditions have evolved, the spirit of grace
and humility at the heart of Thanksgiving has persisted
through every chapter of our story. When President
George Washington proclaimed our country's first
Thanksgiving, he praised a generous and knowing God for
shepherding our young Republic through its uncertain
beginnings. Decades later, President Abraham Lincoln
looked to the divine to protect those who had known the
worst of civil war, and to restore the Nation ``to the
full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and
union.''

In times of adversity and times of plenty, we have
lifted our hearts by giving humble thanks for the
blessings we have received and for those who bring
meaning to our lives. Today, let us offer gratitude to
our men and women in uniform for their many sacrifices,
and keep in our thoughts the families who save an empty
seat at the table for a loved one stationed in harm's
way. And as members of our American family make do with
less, let us rededicate ourselves to our friends and
fellow citizens in need of a helping hand.

As we gather in our communities and in our homes,
around the table or near the hearth, we give thanks to
each other and to God for the many kindnesses and
comforts that grace our lives. Let us pause to recount
the simple gifts that sustain us, and resolve to pay
them forward in the year to come.

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 Thursday, November
24, 2011, as a National Day of Thanksgiving. I
encourage the people of the United States to come
together--whether in our homes, places of worship,
community centers, or any place of fellowship for
friends and neighbors--to give thanks for all we have
received in the past year, to express appreciation to
those whose lives enrich our own, and to share our
bounty with others.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
sixteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord two
thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.