[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 31, Number 45 (Monday, November 13, 1995)]
[Pages 1995-1996]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 6849--Thanksgiving Day, 1995

November 9, 1995

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    In 1621, Massachusetts Bay Governor William Bradford invited members 
of the neighboring Wampanoag tribe to join the Pilgrims as they 
celebrated their first harvest in a new land. This 3-day festival 
brought people together to delight in the richness of the earth and to 
give praise for their new friendships and progress. More than 300 years 
later, the tradition inspired by that gathering continues on 
Thanksgiving Day across America--a holiday that unites citizens from 
every culture, race, and background in common thanks for the gifts we 
receive from God.
    As we pause to reflect on the events of the past year, we recognize 
anew our Nation's many and wonderful blessings. We are deeply grateful 
for the abundance that keeps America strong and prosperous; for our 
freedoms and the freedom spreading to people all over the world; for the 
new hope of peace in regions where people have suffered much but are 
working hard toward reconciliation; for the 50 years of international 
cooperation that have followed the end of World War II; and especially 
for the generosity and love that united our Nation after the tragedy in 
Oklahoma City. Let us open our hearts to the grace that makes all good 
things possible and acknowledge God's care for our world.
    Let us each take time to offer thanks for the bounty of our own 
lives and for the relatives and friends that gather with us to share 
food and companionship on this special day. We give praise for the 
relationships that sustain us--in our families, churches, schools, and 
communities. We voice our appreciation for the satisfaction of work and 
the joys of leisure, and, most of all, we give thanks for the children 
that enrich our lives and remind us daily that we are the stewards of 
the earth and all its possibilities.
    This cherished season also calls us to look forward to the 
challenges that lie before us as individuals and as a country. With 
God's help, we can shoulder our responsibilities so that future 
generations will inherit the wealth of opportunities we now enjoy. In 
everything we do, we must plan for the Thanksgivings to come and 
continue our efforts to build an America where everyone has a place at 
the table and a fair share in our Nation's harvest.
    Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, 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 23, 1995, as a National Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage all 
the people of the United States to assemble in their homes, places of 
worship, or community centers to share the spirit of goodwill and 
prayer; to express heartfelt gratitude for the blessings of life; and to 
reach out in friendship to our brothers and sisters in the larger family 
of mankind.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this ninth day of 
November, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-five, and 
of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and 
twentieth.
                                            William J. Clinton

[[Page 1996]]

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:48 a.m., November 13, 
1995]

Note: This proclamation will be published in the Federal Register on 
November 14.