[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 227 (Tuesday, November 25, 2003)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 66315-66316]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-29643]



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Part VII





The President





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Proclamation 7738--Thanksgiving Day, 2003



Executive Order 13318--Presidential Management Fellows Program
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  Federal Register / Vol. 68, No. 227 / Tuesday, November 25, 2003 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 66315]]

                Proclamation 7738 of November 21, 2003

                
Thanksgiving Day, 2003

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Each year on Thanksgiving, we gather with family and 
                friends to thank God for the many blessings He has 
                given us, and we ask God to continue to guide and watch 
                over our country.

                Almost 400 years ago, after surviving their first 
                winter at Plymouth, the Pilgrims celebrated a harvest 
                feast to give thanks. George Washington proclaimed the 
                first National Day of Thanksgiving in 1789, and Abraham 
                Lincoln revived the tradition during the Civil War. 
                Since that time, our citizens have paused to express 
                thanks for the bounty of blessings we enjoy and to 
                spend time with family and friends. In want or in 
                plenty, in times of challenge or times of calm, we 
                always have reasons to be thankful.

                America is a land of abundance, prosperity, and hope. 
                We must never take for granted the things that make our 
                country great: a firm foundation of freedom, justice, 
                and equality; a belief in democracy and the rule of 
                law; and our fundamental rights to gather, speak, and 
                worship freely.

                These liberties do not come without cost. Throughout 
                history, many have sacrificed to preserve our freedoms 
                and to defend peace around the world. Today, the brave 
                men and women of our military continue this noble 
                tradition. These heroes and their loved ones have the 
                gratitude of our Nation.

                On this day, we also remember those less fortunate 
                among us. They are our neighbors and our fellow 
                citizens, and we are committed to reaching out to them 
                and to all of those in need in our communities.

                This Thanksgiving, we again give thanks for all of our 
                blessings and for the freedoms we enjoy every day. Our 
                Founders thanked the Almighty and humbly sought His 
                wisdom and blessing. May we always live by that same 
                trust, and may God continue to watch over and bless the 
                United States of America.

                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 27, 2003, 
                as a National Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage 
                Americans to gather in their homes, places of worship, 
                and community centers to share the spirit of 
                understanding and prayer and to reinforce ties of 
                family and community.

[[Page 66316]]

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

                    (Presidential Sig.)B

[FR Doc. 03-29643
Filed 11-24-03; 10:46 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P