Happy Thanksgiving!

“O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.”
(1 Chronicles 16:34)
Celebrating Thanksgiving as a time to focus on God and His blessings dates back almost four centuries in America. Although such celebrations occurred as early as 1607 at Cape Henry, Va., our current tradition of Thanksgiving came to us from the Pilgrims.

Sailing from England on Sept. 6, 1620, the Pilgrims spent two months braving the harsh elements of a storm-tossed sea. After finally landing and going ashore at Plymouth Rock, they held a prayer service, then began hastily building shelters. But nothing prepared them for the bitter winter ahead. Before spring half of them had died.

Yet through perseverance in prayer and the help of neighboring Indians, they reaped a bountiful harvest the following summer. In the fall of 1621, the grateful Pilgrims declared a three-day feast to thank God and celebrate with their Native American friends. America’s first Thanksgiving festival began an annual tradition that slowly spread to other New England colonies.

A National Day of Thanksgiving

The first national Thanksgiving occurred in 1789. According to the Congressional Record for September 25 of that year, immediately after approving the Bill of Rights: “Mr. Elias Boudinot said he could not think of letting the congressional session end without offering an opportunity to all the citizens of the United States of joining with one voice in returning to Almighty God their sincere thanks for the many blessings He had poured down upon them.”

He moved that the following resolution be delivered to President George Washington:

Resolved, That a joint committee of both Houses be directed to wait upon the President of the United States to request that he would recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer…. Mr. Roger Sherman justified the practice of thanksgiving not only as a praiseworthy one in itself but also as warranted by a number of precedents in Holy Writ…. This example he thought worthy of a Christian imitation on the present occasion.

The president heartily concurred with the congressional request, declaring:

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor…. Now, therefore, I do appoint Thursday, the 26th day of November 1789…that we may all unite to render unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection.

National thanksgiving proclamations occurred sporadically following this one, and most official Thanksgiving observances still occurred only at the state level. Much of the credit for the adoption of an annual national Thanksgiving may be attributed to Mrs. Sarah J. Hale, editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book. For 30 years she promoted the idea of a national Thanksgiving Day, contacting president after president with her recommendation. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln responded by setting aside the last Thursday of November, declaring:

We often forget the Source from which the blessings of fruitful years and healthful skies come…. No human wisdom hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God…. I therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States…to observe the last Thursday of November as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.

For the next 75 years, presidents followed Lincoln’s precedent, annually declaring a national Thanksgiving Day.

Then, in 1941, Congress permanently established the fourth Thursday of each November as a national holiday.

As you celebrate Thanksgiving this year, remember the original spirit of the oldest of all American holidays—gratefulness to God. Amid all the hustle and bustle, take time to give thanks and praise “to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.” God.

David Barton, nationally known author and public speaker, is the founder and president of WallBuilders, a pro-family organization which distributes historical, legal and statistical information. WallBuilders seeks to energize grass-roots society to rebuild America’s constitutional, moral and religious foundations. David is a frequent consultant to state and federal legislators, and is involved in several cases at the U.S. Supreme Court.

For more information go to www.wallbuilders.com, call 1-817-441-6044 or write to WallBuilders, P. O. Box 397, Aledo, TX 76008-0397.