Saturday, December 12, 2009

George Washington's 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation


Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to "recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"


Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.


And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.


Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789.


Huh……I’m confused….

According to revisionist history as it is currently taught in public schools, our forefathers were Godless, and our nation was not born as a Christian nation at all. Indeed back in Washington’s day it would have been considered an outrage to even suggest that kids shouldn’t pray in school. I’ll bet if you open a public school history book on George Washington today you won’t find such right-wing religious wack-job drivel as is presented in his proclamation above. The respect for God, the acknowledgement that all that is good comes from God, and establishment of a national holiday to give thanks to God for all that he has bestowed upon the people of this country. You won’t find a modern leader that will humble himself in the manner of George Washington. Too bad our leaders today (government and corporate) aren’t as principled, and dare I say “religious”, as were those who founded this great country. If we study history at all in our schools any more, we should focus on reversing the forces that have driven us from those principles, as they are the root of the messes we face today.

3 comments:

  1. Good writeup. I'd drop it on the 'vine, but maybe I'll wait till Thanksgiving.
    The US is historically a Christian nation, and what we value above all else is freedom to practice religion without interfering with or interference from others.

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    1. Thanks Styers! I had given up on this blog. Just not enough time. Thanks for visiting and commenting. Are you the same as BD Styers on the "Vine"?

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  2. Yes.
    I'm looking for cohorts to repeat the importance of and share our US Constitution.
    Would like to see revival of your site here and on the vine.
    Also GSH seems like strong US Constitutional advocate, but I get the idea maybe GSH doesn't appreciate my brand of humor.

    Anyway, I plan to seed this one around Thanksgiving. I'm also working a discussion on my columnn today. It's a start.

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Please keep comments brief, civil, and on topic. Vigorous debate is more than welcome.