The Thanksgiving holiday is time for families to come together and reflect on the many blessings in our lives. Like the Fourth of July, the Thanksgiving holiday is a truly unique American tradition. As Americans, we have much to be thankful for. Thanks to the service and sacrifice of many, we can celebrate Thanksgiving in freedom.
by Congressman Michael Turner
The Thanksgiving holiday is time for families to come together and reflect on the many blessings in our lives. Like the Fourth of July, the Thanksgiving holiday is a truly unique American tradition. As Americans, we have much to be thankful for. Thanks to the service and sacrifice of many, we can celebrate Thanksgiving in freedom.
In 2004, my wife Lori and I had the honor of having Thanksgiving dinner with U.S. troops stationed in Kosovo. We all owe our thanks and we honor the brave men and women in our Armed Forces who fearlessly and selflessly serve our nation. Our troops serving in Afghanistan, Iraq, and throughout the world protect our freedoms, and are keeping America safe. As you travel this holiday season and see a member of our Armed Forces, please be sure they know how much we appreciate the dedication, courage and the sacrifices they, their friends and families make for our nation. Many in the service spend holidays away from family and loved ones.
We are familiar with the traditional account of the first Thanksgiving feast celebrated by the Pilgrims in 1621. The Pilgrims left England to escape religious persecution and settled here in America, seeking the freedom to live and to worship God as they chose. The Pilgrims began the tradition of a feast of thanksgiving to give thanks to God at the close of the harvest season. After surviving a harsh winter, the Pilgrims celebrated a bountiful harvest with Native Americans, in a spirit of peace and friendship.
In 1777, as his troops settled into their winter quarters at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, General George Washington declared a day of Thanksgiving to mark their victory over the British at the Battle of Saratoga, a major turning point in the war for Independence. The Continental Congress proclaimed a day of Thanksgiving each year during the remaining years of the American Revolution. As president, George Washington issued the first presidential proclamation calling for “a day of public thanksgiving and prayer.”
In 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln revived the tradition of an annual Thanksgiving proclamation and declared the last Thursday in November as a national day of Thanksgiving. Since then, Thanksgiving has been observed annually in the United States. In 1939, in another executive proclamation, President Franklin Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving to the next-to-last Thursday in November. Congress officially designated Thanksgiving as a national holiday in 1941, to be celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November.
As the holiday season begins, and as families and friends across the nation gather for the Thanksgiving holiday, let us be mindful of the many blessings in our lives and make an effort to reach out to others who are less fortunate. Let us also give thanks for our many blessings as a free nation, and for the sacrifices made by so many to help keep our country strong.