[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 230 (Wednesday, November 30, 2016)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 86553-86554]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-28941]



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Vol. 81

Wednesday,

No. 230

November 30, 2016

Part V





The President





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Proclamation 9546--Thanksgiving Day, 2016
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  Federal Register / Vol. 81 , No. 230 / Wednesday, November 30, 2016 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

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                Proclamation 9546 of November 23, 2016

                
Thanksgiving Day, 2016

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Nearly 400 years ago, a small band of Pilgrims fled 
                persecution and violence and came to this land as 
                refugees in search of opportunity and the freedom to 
                practice their faith. Though the journey was rough and 
                their first winter harsh, the friendly embrace of an 
                indigenous people, the Wampanoag--who offered gracious 
                lessons in agriculture and crop production--led to 
                their successful first harvest. The Pilgrims were 
                grateful they could rely on the generosity of the 
                Wampanoag people, without whom they would not have 
                survived their first year in the new land, and together 
                they celebrated this bounty with a festival that lasted 
                for days and prompted the tradition of an annual day of 
                giving thanks.

                This history teaches us that the American instinct has 
                never been to seek isolation in opposite corners; it is 
                to find strength in our common creed and forge unity 
                from our great diversity. On that very first 
                thanksgiving celebration, these same ideals brought 
                together people of different backgrounds and beliefs, 
                and every year since, with enduring confidence in the 
                power of faith, love, gratitude, and optimism, this 
                force of unity has sustained us as a people. It has 
                guided us through times of great challenge and change 
                and allowed us to see ourselves in those who come to 
                our shores in search of a safer, better future for 
                themselves and their families.

                On this holiday, we count our blessings and renew our 
                commitment to giving back. We give thanks for our 
                troops and our veterans--and their families--who give 
                of themselves to protect the values we cherish; for the 
                first responders, teachers, and engaged Americans who 
                serve their communities; and for the chance to live in 
                a country founded on the belief that all of us are 
                created equal. But on this day of gratitude, we are 
                also reminded that securing these freedoms and 
                opportunities for all our people is an unfinished task. 
                We must reflect on all we have been afforded while 
                continuing the work of ensuring no one is left out or 
                left behind because of who they are or where they come 
                from.

                For generations, our Nation's progress has been carried 
                forward by those who act on the obligations we have to 
                one another. Each year on Thanksgiving, the 
                selflessness and decency of the American people surface 
                in food banks and shelters across our country, in time 
                spent caring for the sick and the stranger, and in 
                efforts to empathize with those with whom we disagree 
                and to recognize that every individual is worthy of 
                compassion and care. As we gather in the company of our 
                friends, families, and communities--just as the 
                Pilgrims and the Wampanoag did centuries ago--let us 
                strive to lift up others, promote tolerance and 
                inclusiveness, and give thanks for the joy and love 
                that surround all of us.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim November 24, 2016, as 
                a National Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage the people 
                of the United States to join together--whether in our 
                homes, places of worship, community centers, or any 
                place of fellowship for friends and neighbors--and give

[[Page 86554]]

                thanks for all we have received in the past year, 
                express appreciation to those whose lives enrich our 
                own, and share our bounty with others.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-third day of November, in the year of our Lord 
                two thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                first.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2016-28941
Filed 11-29-16; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F7-P