[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 133, 116th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
Proclamation 9968 of November 27, 2019

Thanksgiving Day, 2019

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

On Thanksgiving Day, we remember with reverence and gratitude the
bountiful blessings afforded to us by our Creator, and we recommit to
sharing in a spirit of thanksgiving and generosity with our friends,
neighbors, and families.
Nearly four centuries ago, determined individuals with a hopeful vision
of a more prosperous life and an abundance of opportunities made a
pilgrimage to a distant land. These Pilgrims embarked on their journey
across the Atlantic at great personal risk, facing unforeseen trials and
tribulations, and unforetold hardships during their passage. After their
arrival in the New World, a harsh and deadly winter took the lives of
nearly half their population. Those who survived remained unwavering in
their faith and foresight of a future rich with liberty and freedom,
enduring every impediment as they established one of our Nation's first
settlements. Through God's divine providence, a meaningful relationship
was forged with the Wampanoag Tribe, and through their unwavering
resolve and resilience, the Pilgrims enjoyed a bountiful harvest the
following year. The celebration of this harvest lasted 3

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days and saw Pilgrims and Wampanoag seated together at the table of
friendship and unity. That first Thanksgiving provided an enduring
symbol of gratitude that is uniquely sewn into the fabric of our
American spirit.
More than 150 years later, it was in this same spirit of unity that
President George Washington declared a National Day of Thanksgiving
following the Revolutionary War and the ratification of our
Constitution. Less than a century later, that hard-won unity came under
duress as the United States was engaged in a civil war that threatened
the very existence of our Republic. Following the Battle of Gettysburg
in 1863, in an effort to unite the country and acknowledge ``the
gracious gifts of the Most High God,'' President Abraham Lincoln asked
the American people to come together and ``set apart and observe the
last Thursday of November next as a Day of Thanksgiving and Praise to
our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.'' Today, this
tradition continues with millions of Americans gathering each year to
give their thanks for the same blessings of liberty for which so many
brave patriots have laid down their lives to defend during the
Revolutionary War and in the years since.
Since the first settlers to call our country home landed on American
shores, we have always been defined by our resilience and propensity to
show gratitude even in the face of great adversity, always remembering
the blessings we have been given in spite of the hardships we endure.
This Thanksgiving, we pause and acknowledge those who will have empty
seats at their table. We ask God to watch over our service members,
especially those whose selfless commitment to serving our country and
defending our sacred liberty has called them to duty overseas during the
holiday season. We also pray for our law enforcement officials and first
responders as they carry out their duties to protect and serve our
communities. As a Nation, we owe a debt of gratitude to both those who
take an oath to safeguard us and our way of life as well as to their
families, and we salute them for their immeasurable sacrifices.
As we gather today with those we hold dear, let us give thanks to
Almighty God for the many blessings we enjoy. United together as one
people, in gratitude for the freedoms and prosperity that thrive across
our land, we acknowledge God as the source of all good gifts. We ask Him
for protection and wisdom and for opportunities this Thanksgiving to
share with others some measure of what we have so providentially
received.
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 28,
2019, 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 twenty-seventh day
of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand nineteen, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-
fourth.
DONALD J. TRUMP