Thanksgiving Proclamation

THANKSGIVING PROCLAMATION
By the President of the United States of America, a 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 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 which we experienced 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 enabled 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 hath 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 shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them
with good government, peace, and concord--To promote the knowledge and
practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease 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 third day of October in the
year of our Lord 1789.


George Washington

The Real Story Behind Thanksgiving

Did you know that the first [Plymouth Colony Pilgrim's] Thanksgiving was a celebration of the triumph of private property and individual initiative?

William Bradford was the governor of the original Pilgrim colony, founded at Plymouth in 1621. The colony was first organized on a communal basis, as their financiers required. Land was owned in common. The Pilgrims farmed communally, too, following the "from each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs" precept.

The results were disastrous. Communism didn't work any better 400 years ago than it does today. By 1623, the colony had suffered serious losses. Starvation was imminent.

Bradford realized that the communal system encouraged and rewarded waste and laziness and inefficiency, and destroyed individual initiative. Desperate, he abolished it. He distributed private plots of land among the surviving Pilgrims, encouraging them to plant early and farm as individuals, not collectively.

The results: a bountiful early harvest that saved the colonies. After the harvest, the Pilgrims celebrated with a day of Thanksgiving -- on August 9th.

Unfortunately, William Bradford's diaries -- in which he recorded the failure of the collectivist system and the triumph of private enterprise -- were lost for many years. When Thanksgiving was later made a national holiday, the present November date was chosen. And the lesson the Pilgrims so painfully learned was, alas, not made a part of the holiday.

Happily, Bradford's diaries were later rediscovered. They're available today in paperback. They tell the real story of Thanksgiving -- how private property and individual initiative saved the Pilgrims.

This Thanksgiving season, one of the many things I'm thankful for is our free market system (imperfectly realized as it is). And I'm also grateful that there are increasing numbers of Americans who are learning the importance of free markets, and who are working to replace government coercion with marketplace cooperation here in America and around the world.

Paul Schmidt

-- copied from http://FreedomKeys.com/thanksgiving2.htm which was copied from the Nov. 20, 1997 issue of THE LIBERATOR ONLINE at http://www.theadvocates.org/liberator/vol-02-num-21.htm