[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 131, 115th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
Proclamation 9678 of November 17, 2017

Thanksgiving Day, 2017

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

On Thanksgiving Day, as we have for nearly four centuries, Americans
give thanks to Almighty God for our abundant blessings. We gather with
the people we love to show gratitude for our freedom, for our friends
and families, and for the prosperous Nation we call home.
In July 1620, more than 100 Pilgrims boarded the Mayflower, fleeing
religious persecution and seeking freedom and opportunity in a new and
unfamiliar place. These dauntless souls arrived in Plymouth,
Massachusetts, in the freezing cold of December 1620. They were greeted
by sickness and severe weather, and quickly lost 46 of their fellow
travelers. Those who endured the incredible hardship of their first year
in America, however, had many reasons for gratitude. They had survived.
They were free. And, with the help of the Wampanoag tribe, and a
bountiful harvest, they were regaining their health and strength. In
thanks to God for these blessings, the new governor of the Plymouth
Colony, William Bradford, proclaimed a day of thanksgiving and gathered
with the Wampanoag tribe for three days of celebration.
For the next two centuries, many individual colonies and states,
primarily in the Northeast, carried on the tradition of fall
Thanksgiving festivities. But each state celebrated it on a different
day, and sometime on an occasional basis. It was not until 1863 that the
holiday was celebrated on one day, nationwide. In the aftermath of the
Battle of Gettysburg, of one of the bloodiest battles of our Nation's
Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed that the country would
set aside one day to remember its many blessings. ``In the midst of a
civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity,'' President Lincoln
proclaimed,

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we recall the ``bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are
prone to forget the source from which they come.'' As President Lincoln
recognized: ``No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand
worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most
High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath
nevertheless remembered mercy.''
Today, we continue to celebrate Thanksgiving with a grateful and
charitable spirit. When we open our hearts and extend our hands to those
in need, we show humility for the bountiful gifts we have received. In
the aftermath of a succession of tragedies that have stunned and shocked
our Nation--Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria; the wildfires that
ravaged the West; and, the horrific acts of violence and terror in Las
Vegas, New York City, and Sutherland Springs--we have witnessed the
generous nature of the American people. In the midst of heartache and
turmoil, we are grateful for the swift action of the first responders,
law enforcement personnel, military and medical professionals,
volunteers, and everyday heroes who embodied our infinite capacity to
extend compassion and humanity to our fellow man. As we mourn these
painful events, we are ever confident that the perseverance and optimism
of the American people will prevail.
We can see, in the courageous Pilgrims who stood on Plymouth Rock in new
land, the intrepidness that lies at the core of our American spirit.
Just as the Pilgrims did, today Americans stand strong, willing to fight
for their families and their futures, to uphold our values, and to
confront any challenge.
This Thanksgiving, in addition to rejoicing in precious time spent with
loved ones, let us find ways to serve and encourage each other in both
word and deed. We also offer a special word of thanks for the brave men
and women of our Armed Forces, many of whom must celebrate this holiday
separated from the ones for whom they are most thankful. As one people,
we seek God's protection, guidance, and wisdom, as we stand humbled by
the abundance of our great Nation and the blessings of freedom, family,
and faith.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, 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 Thursday, November 23,
2017, as a National Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage all Americans to
gather, in homes and places of worship, to offer a prayer of thanks to
God for our many blessings.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this seventeenth day of
November, in the year of our Lord two thousand seventeen, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-
second.
DONALD J. TRUMP