[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 224 (Tuesday, November 20, 2001)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 58347-58348]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-29234]



[[Page 58345]]

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Part VIII





The President





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Proclamation 7504--Thanksgiving Day, 2001
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  Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 224 / Tuesday, November 20, 2001 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 58347]]

                Proclamation 7504 of November 16, 2001

                
Thanksgiving Day, 2001

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Nearly half a century ago, President Dwight Eisenhower 
                proclaimed Thanksgiving as a time when Americans should 
                celebrate ``the plentiful yield of our soil . . . the 
                beauty of our land . . . the preservation of those 
                ideals of liberty and justice that form the basis of 
                our national life, and the hope of international 
                peace.'' Now, in the painful aftermath of the September 
                11 attacks and in the midst of our resolute war on 
                terrorism, President Eisenhower's hopeful words point 
                us to our collective obligation to defend the enduring 
                principles of freedom that form the foundation of our 
                Republic.

                During these extraordinary times, we find particular 
                assurance from our Thanksgiving tradition, which 
                reminds us that we, as a people and individually, 
                always have reason to hope and trust in God, despite 
                great adversity. In 1621 in New England, the Pilgrims 
                gave thanks to God, in whom they placed their hope, 
                even though a bitter winter had taken many of their 
                brethren. In the winter of 1777, General George 
                Washington and his army, having just suffered great 
                misfortune, stopped near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, to 
                give thanks to God. And there, in the throes of great 
                difficulty, they found the hope they needed to 
                persevere. That hope in freedom eventually inspired 
                them to victory.

                In 1789, President Washington, recollecting the 
                countless blessings for which our new Nation should 
                give thanks, declared the first National Day of 
                Thanksgiving. And decades later, with the Nation 
                embroiled in a bloody civil war, President Abraham 
                Lincoln revived what is now an annual tradition of 
                issuing a presidential proclamation of Thanksgiving. 
                President Lincoln asked God to ``heal the wounds of the 
                nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent 
                with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of 
                peace, harmony, tranquillity, and Union.''

                As we recover from the terrible tragedies of September 
                11, Americans of every belief and heritage give thanks 
                to God for the many blessings we enjoy as a free, 
                faithful, and fair-minded land. Let us particularly 
                give thanks for the selfless sacrifices of those who 
                responded in service to others after the terrorist 
                attacks, setting aside their own safety as they reached 
                out to help their neighbors. Let us also give thanks 
                for our leaders at every level who have planned and 
                coordinated the myriad of responses needed to address 
                this unprecedented national crisis. And let us give 
                thanks for the millions of people of faith who have 
                opened their hearts to those in need with love and 
                prayer, bringing us a deeper unity and stronger 
                resolve.

                In thankfulness and humility, we acknowledge, 
                especially now, our dependence on One greater than 
                ourselves. On this day of Thanksgiving, let our 
                thanksgiving be revealed in the compassionate support 
                we render to our fellow citizens who are grieving 
                unimaginable loss; and let us reach out with care to 
                those in need of food, shelter, and words of hope. May 
                Almighty God, who is our refuge and our strength in 
                this time of trouble, watch over our homeland, protect 
                us, and grant us patience, resolve, and wisdom in all 
                that is to come.

[[Page 58348]]

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, 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 22, 2001, 
                as a National Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage 
                Americans to assemble in their homes, places of 
                worship, or community centers to reinforce ties of 
                family and community, express our profound thanks for 
                the many blessings we enjoy, and reach out in true 
                gratitude and friendship to our friends around the 
                world.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                sixteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand one, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and twenty-sixth.

                    (Presidential Sig.)B

[FR Doc. 01-29234
Filed 11-19-01; 11:18 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P