Proclamation 5844 --
Thanksgiving Day, 1988
By
the President of the
A
Proclamation
The
celebration of Thanksgiving Day is one of our Nation's most venerable and cherished
traditions. Almost 200 years ago, the first President of these United States,
George Washington, issued the first national Thanksgiving Day Proclamation
under the Constitution and recommended to the American people that they ``be
devoted 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.'' He called upon
them to raise ``prayers and supplications to the Great
Lord and Ruler of Nations,'' not merely for continued blessings on our own land
but on all rulers and nations that they might know ``good government, peace,
and concord.''
A
century ago, President Grover Cleveland called for ``prayers and song of
praise'' that would render to God the appreciation of the American people for
His mercy and for the abundant harvests and rich rewards He had bestowed upon
our Nation through the labor of its farmers, shopkeepers, and tradesmen. Both
of these Proclamations included something else as well: a
recognition of our shortcomings and transgressions and our dependence,
in total and in every particular, on the forgiveness and forbearance of the
Almighty.
Today,
cognizant of our American heritage of freedom and opportunity, we are again
called to gratitude, thanksgiving, and contrition. Thanksgiving Day summons
every American to pause in the midst of activity, however necessary and
valuable, to give simple and humble thanks to God. This gracious gratitude is
the ``service'' of which
In
this year when we as a people enjoy the fruits of economic growth and
international cooperation, let us take time both to remember the sacrifices
that have made this harvest possible and the needs of those who do not fully
partake of its benefits. The wonder of our agricultural abundance must be
recalled as the work of farmers who, under the best and worst of conditions,
give their all to raise food upon the land. The gratitude that fills our being
must be tempered with compassion for the needy. The blessings that are ours
must be understood as the gift of a loving God Whose
greatest gift is healing. Let us join then, with the psalmist of old:
O
give thanks to the Lord, call on His name, Make known
His deeds among the peoples!
Sing
to Him, sing praises to Him, Tell of all His wonderful
works!
Glory
in His holy name; Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!
Now,
Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do
hereby proclaim Thursday, November 24, 1988, as a National Day of Thanksgiving,
and I call upon the citizens of this great Nation to gather together in homes
and places of worship on that day of thanks to affirm by their prayers and
their gratitude the many blessings God has bestowed upon us.
In
Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this fourth day of August, in the
year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-eight, and of the
Ronald
Reagan
[Filed with the Office
of the Federal Register,