[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 117, 108th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

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.
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.
GEORGE W. BUSH


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