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.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Ten Fundamental Principles for True Freedom...
The pilgrims came to America as immigrants in search of some basic freedoms... The right to worship according to the dictates of their own conscience. The right to free assembly. The right to free speech. They and others who have come before have provided those rights to us. And, we are very thankful this day to enjoy those rights.
I am working with a group called Homemakers for America... on the Abigail Adams Project. My friend Tammy wrote this belief statement for our Utah Chapter. I think that on this beautiful Thanksgiving Day.. these are some appropriate things to ponder.. in addition to the turkey and cranberry sauce... Happy Thanksgiving!!!
1. All men have been endowed by their Creator with the right to life. All human life is sacred and the worth of every human being is great regardless of race, education, social or economic status. Thus we strive to protect and preserve the dignity of all people including the disabled, the handicap, the elderly, and the woman with her unborn child in each stage of pregnancy.
2. Liberty is a right that is intrinsic to human creation and has been given to all men by their Creator. The proper role of government is to protect and secure this right for the citizens of its country. We recognize that liberty is maintained by adherence to law and thus, strive to write laws that will protect the citizens of the country. We also believe that those who violate law must be held accountable for their actions.
3. All men have been endowed by their Creator with the opportunity to pursue happiness. This pursuit requires freedom for self-determination, opportunities for un-bias education, and the free-exchange of ideas within communities. Thus we hold fast to the policy defined by the 1st Amendment of our Constitution and uphold the freedom of speech and the right to assembly to promote the general welfare of this nation.
4. Governments were instituted to secure the blessings of liberty for the citizens of their countries. A superior form of “government of the people, by the people, and for the people” (Abraham Lincoln) should be upheld and defended to protect the liberties of men. The checks and balances provided by the Constitution of this free land define the roles of the 3 branches of government (executive, judicial, and legislative). One branch of government will not be allowed to usurp power from either of the other two.
5. Each member of the human race possesses an intrinsic dignity with a right to freedom and self-determination. We uphold the principles of work, education, and industry as crucial elements of self-determination and the preservation of human dignity. Therefore, we encourage welfare services that promote the development of self-reliance. We support humanitarian efforts of compassion to provide for the basic needs of citizens in times of hardship and persuade all social institutions to support individuals in their quest for self-determination and employment opportunities.
6. We honor and hold sacred the religious beliefs of the citizens of this nation. We do not endorse one specific religion but encourage and allow all men to choose personal religious beliefs. We acknowledge the existence of a Supreme Being and the inspiration of the Almighty God in framing the Constitution of this land. We recognize that true religion encourages its
members to achieve higher states of dignity, compassion, and character and consequently, will strengthen the citizens of this nation.
7. We recognize the family is the basic unit of society and therefore affirm that the strength of the family is fundamental to the strength of the nation. Thus, we hold sacred the roles of fatherhood and motherhood as it pertains to the protection, leadership, education, and nurturing of children within the family. Thus, we are resolved to maintain the rights of parents to protect family and children from forces that would threaten or inflict harm to their physical, emotional, spiritual and moral well-being.
8. We recognize that governments may become corrupt over time and elected officials may, in fact, seek to undermine the freedom of its citizens. If a government should deny its citizens of the rights and liberties bestowed upon them by their Creator, the leaders of that government should be removed from office, erring officials held accountable for the destruction of liberty, and new guards should be established for the future security of the nation.
9. The rights of a free people are maintained through leadership which invokes the nobility that resides in all men. We recognize that successful civilizations are governed by correct principles and leaders who rule by inspiration, teach by example and stand for self-evident principles. We support government leaders who utilize the powers of persuasion, education, compassion and service to encourage the fulfillment of human potential. We reject policies and politicians that exploit individuals for personal gain and reject the use of coercion, manipulation and indoctrination as a means of controlling citizens of the land.
10. We acknowledge that Communism is NOT a political party or a political plan under the Constitution of the United States. It is a system of government that is the opposite of our Constitutional government. We recognize that Communism would destroy the Constitutional government of America. We therefore insist that our elected officials not only resist communism, but also consider the supporters of Communism as traitors to our free government.
I am working with a group called Homemakers for America... on the Abigail Adams Project. My friend Tammy wrote this belief statement for our Utah Chapter. I think that on this beautiful Thanksgiving Day.. these are some appropriate things to ponder.. in addition to the turkey and cranberry sauce... Happy Thanksgiving!!!
1. All men have been endowed by their Creator with the right to life. All human life is sacred and the worth of every human being is great regardless of race, education, social or economic status. Thus we strive to protect and preserve the dignity of all people including the disabled, the handicap, the elderly, and the woman with her unborn child in each stage of pregnancy.
2. Liberty is a right that is intrinsic to human creation and has been given to all men by their Creator. The proper role of government is to protect and secure this right for the citizens of its country. We recognize that liberty is maintained by adherence to law and thus, strive to write laws that will protect the citizens of the country. We also believe that those who violate law must be held accountable for their actions.
3. All men have been endowed by their Creator with the opportunity to pursue happiness. This pursuit requires freedom for self-determination, opportunities for un-bias education, and the free-exchange of ideas within communities. Thus we hold fast to the policy defined by the 1st Amendment of our Constitution and uphold the freedom of speech and the right to assembly to promote the general welfare of this nation.
4. Governments were instituted to secure the blessings of liberty for the citizens of their countries. A superior form of “government of the people, by the people, and for the people” (Abraham Lincoln) should be upheld and defended to protect the liberties of men. The checks and balances provided by the Constitution of this free land define the roles of the 3 branches of government (executive, judicial, and legislative). One branch of government will not be allowed to usurp power from either of the other two.
5. Each member of the human race possesses an intrinsic dignity with a right to freedom and self-determination. We uphold the principles of work, education, and industry as crucial elements of self-determination and the preservation of human dignity. Therefore, we encourage welfare services that promote the development of self-reliance. We support humanitarian efforts of compassion to provide for the basic needs of citizens in times of hardship and persuade all social institutions to support individuals in their quest for self-determination and employment opportunities.
6. We honor and hold sacred the religious beliefs of the citizens of this nation. We do not endorse one specific religion but encourage and allow all men to choose personal religious beliefs. We acknowledge the existence of a Supreme Being and the inspiration of the Almighty God in framing the Constitution of this land. We recognize that true religion encourages its
members to achieve higher states of dignity, compassion, and character and consequently, will strengthen the citizens of this nation.
7. We recognize the family is the basic unit of society and therefore affirm that the strength of the family is fundamental to the strength of the nation. Thus, we hold sacred the roles of fatherhood and motherhood as it pertains to the protection, leadership, education, and nurturing of children within the family. Thus, we are resolved to maintain the rights of parents to protect family and children from forces that would threaten or inflict harm to their physical, emotional, spiritual and moral well-being.
8. We recognize that governments may become corrupt over time and elected officials may, in fact, seek to undermine the freedom of its citizens. If a government should deny its citizens of the rights and liberties bestowed upon them by their Creator, the leaders of that government should be removed from office, erring officials held accountable for the destruction of liberty, and new guards should be established for the future security of the nation.
9. The rights of a free people are maintained through leadership which invokes the nobility that resides in all men. We recognize that successful civilizations are governed by correct principles and leaders who rule by inspiration, teach by example and stand for self-evident principles. We support government leaders who utilize the powers of persuasion, education, compassion and service to encourage the fulfillment of human potential. We reject policies and politicians that exploit individuals for personal gain and reject the use of coercion, manipulation and indoctrination as a means of controlling citizens of the land.
10. We acknowledge that Communism is NOT a political party or a political plan under the Constitution of the United States. It is a system of government that is the opposite of our Constitutional government. We recognize that Communism would destroy the Constitutional government of America. We therefore insist that our elected officials not only resist communism, but also consider the supporters of Communism as traitors to our free government.
One of my favorite parts of the holidays is here...
wrapping up the Merry Christmas presents!!!(I couldn't get the colors to turn out right on the camera.. the top one is the only one that is right... you'll have to use your imagination)
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