Thanksgiving Day Proclamation
By the President of the
United States of America
November 21, 2003
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.
GEORGE W. BUSH
2008 Presidential Proclamation
2007 Presidential Proclamation
2006 Presidential Proclamation
2005 Presidential Proclamation
2004 Presidential Proclamation
2001 Presidential Proclamation
1999 Presidential Proclamation
1998 Presidential Proclamation
1996 Presidential Proclamation
1789 Presidential Proclamation
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