Thanksgiving Day, 2016

Vol. 81

Wednesday,

No. 230

November 30, 2016

Part V

The President

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Proclamation 9546--Thanksgiving Day, 2016

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 9546 of November 23, 2016

Thanksgiving Day, 2016

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Nearly 400 years ago, a small band of Pilgrims fled
persecution and violence and came to this land as
refugees in search of opportunity and the freedom to
practice their faith. Though the journey was rough and
their first winter harsh, the friendly embrace of an
indigenous people, the Wampanoag--who offered gracious
lessons in agriculture and crop production--led to
their successful first harvest. The Pilgrims were
grateful they could rely on the generosity of the
Wampanoag people, without whom they would not have
survived their first year in the new land, and together
they celebrated this bounty with a festival that lasted
for days and prompted the tradition of an annual day of
giving thanks.

This history teaches us that the American instinct has
never been to seek isolation in opposite corners; it is
to find strength in our common creed and forge unity
from our great diversity. On that very first
thanksgiving celebration, these same ideals brought
together people of different backgrounds and beliefs,
and every year since, with enduring confidence in the
power of faith, love, gratitude, and optimism, this
force of unity has sustained us as a people. It has
guided us through times of great challenge and change
and allowed us to see ourselves in those who come to
our shores in search of a safer, better future for
themselves and their families.

On this holiday, we count our blessings and renew our
commitment to giving back. We give thanks for our
troops and our veterans--and their families--who give
of themselves to protect the values we cherish; for the
first responders, teachers, and engaged Americans who
serve their communities; and for the chance to live in
a country founded on the belief that all of us are
created equal. But on this day of gratitude, we are
also reminded that securing these freedoms and
opportunities for all our people is an unfinished task.
We must reflect on all we have been afforded while
continuing the work of ensuring no one is left out or
left behind because of who they are or where they come
from.

For generations, our Nation's progress has been carried
forward by those who act on the obligations we have to
one another. Each year on Thanksgiving, the
selflessness and decency of the American people surface
in food banks and shelters across our country, in time
spent caring for the sick and the stranger, and in
efforts to empathize with those with whom we disagree
and to recognize that every individual is worthy of
compassion and care. As we gather in the company of our
friends, families, and communities--just as the
Pilgrims and the Wampanoag did centuries ago--let us
strive to lift up others, promote tolerance and
inclusiveness, and give thanks for the joy and love
that surround all of us.

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 24, 2016, 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
twenty-third day of November, in the year of our Lord
two thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
first.