Date: October 13, 1986
By: William J. Clinton
Well over three and a half centuries ago, strengthened by faith and
bound by a common desire for liberty, a small band of Pilgrims sought
out a place in the New World where they could worship according to their
own beliefs. Surviving their first harsh winter in Massachusetts and
grateful to a merciful God for a sustaining harvest, the men and women
of Plymouth Colony set aside three days as a time to give thanks for the
bounty of their fields, the fruits of their labor, the chance to live in
peace with their Native American neighbors, and the blessings of a land
where they could live and worship freely.
We have come far on our American journey since that early Thanksgiving.
In the intervening years, we have lived through times of war and peace,
years of poverty and plenty, and seasons of social and political
upheaval that have shaped and forever changed our national character and
experience. As we gather around our Thanksgiving tables again this year,
it is a fitting time to reflect on how the events of our rich history
have affected those we care about and those who came before us. As we
acknowledge the past, we do so knowing that the individual blessings for
which we give thanks may have changed, but our gratitude to God and our
commitment to our fellow Americans remain constant.
Today we count among our national blessings a time of unprecedented
prosperity, with an expanding economy, record low rates of poverty and
unemployment among our people, and the limitless opportunities to
improve the quality of life that new technologies present to us. We can
give thanks today that for the first time in history, more than half the
world's people live under governments of their own choosing. And we
remain grateful for the peace and freedom America continues to enjoy
thanks to the courage and patriotism of our men and women in uniform.
But the spirit of Thanksgiving requires more than just an
acknowledgement of our blessings; it calls upon us to reach out and
share those blessings with others. We must strive to fulfill the promise
of the extraordinary era in which we live and enter the new century with
a commitment to widen the circle of opportunity, break down the
prejudices that alienate us from one another, and build an America of
understanding and inclusion, strong in our diversity, responsible in our
freedom, and generous in sharing our bounty with those in need.
Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, 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 25,
1999, as a National Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage all the people of
the United States to assemble in their homes, places of worship, or
community centers to share the spirit of fellowship and prayer and to
reinforce the ties of family and community; to express heartfelt thanks
to God for the many blessings He has bestowed upon us; and to reach out
in true gratitude and friendship to our brothers and sisters in the
larger family of humankind.
In Witness Where Of, I have here unto set my hand this twentieth day of
November, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-nine, and
of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
twenty-fourth.
