George Washington's 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation

October 3, 1789 | George Washington

[Fintan]

"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; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me "to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted, for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best."

Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789.

[StACase]

President Washington is a text book example of ignoring a brand new document right out of the box. He obviously didn't read the words, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion...." To bad the ACLU wasn't around in 1789 to set him straight!

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Are you talking about the 1st amendment? Where did George Washington violate that amendent?

Or as one media talk show host said yesterday, would that be a violation of the 14th amendment? How?

I read both amendments. I see no violations of them when God or the 10 Commandments are used. There is no imposed religion, since all Christian, Jewish, and [supposedly] Islamic religions are founded on the 10 Commandments. [Although some Islamics have a problem with 'thou shalt not kill', but since that is a foundation of our law and natural law, they dare not argue the point or be branded as an illegal cult].

What religion was opposed? It was a generic statement. It was also an important decision. Devoting a day out of the year to thank God [without specifying who God is] kept this nation closer to God than it otherwise would have been. Without that close bond with God, the USA would have had an entirely different future.

Consider Patrick Henry. When he said those incredible words, "Give me liberty, or bring me death!", lightning struck a nearby tree outside the church he was speaking at.

Washington himself was spared in battle by God. In one battle [French and Indian War], despite his lion-like courage, four bullets passed through Washington's coat without ever hitting him.

God touched our founding fathers in a personal way. Anyone who thinks our founding fathers want schools to allow satanist tee-shirts while making Christian tee-shirts sub-citizen in comparison, anyone who thinks that our founding fathers want the 10 Commandments removed from government buildings, such a 'historian' is little more than deluded.

For example, Congress pays a minister to begin each session with an opening prayer. This was founded by our founding fathers.

Freedom of religion is the free exercise of religion. For example, our students. If any student wants to wear a cross, crucifix, the Star of David, or even a sickle moon symbol of Islam, our founding fathers would expect a court justice to defend that right.

What happened in the 1950s is a liberal court, reeking with leftist ideology from leftist colleges, and with a supreme court that was packed and perverted in the 30s, took on Ike, a God-fearing president. They defeated Ike not with better arguments, but through brute force. From the court bench, they created the legislation of 'separation of church and state', which was never practiced in our nation before that time.

In that same decade, a college-jaded congress paid a man to molest young infants in an experiment to see if 'sexuality' begins at infancy. They watched the kiddie-porn film as the researcher molested a baby boy.

What I'm getting at is that our colleges, for whatever perverse reason, have polluted the minds of our leaders throughout the second half of last century. It's prettymuch documented now how bad the professors are, how far they have gone. You can't trust them or anyone who respects their way of thinking.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Another point, Marxism is a religion. Marx called for people to worship government. Just thought I'd add that one to the mix.

[Jolly Green]

Great post!

On the separation of church and state issue, while reviewing my daughter's homework I learned something new: In the early days of the new republic, most government business was conducted within church facilities as the government had no facilities of its own. I found this to be quite astonishing. How much yelling and screaming went on in those days about that?

[fire and forget]

How do Washington's personal views verbalized constitute law? He made a statement of his own personal views and opinions in the context of a new nation. Does that legally bind citizens? Were the rights of those who chose other religions crushed by this address? Help me out here, please.

[Sacajaweau]

The Federal Government also provided "Church Lots" when setting up the divisions of the Western lands.

[apackof2]

Were the rights of those who chose other religions crushed by this address?

The bottom line here is that there where no other religions. THIS COUNTRY WAS FOUNDED BY CHRISTIANS AS A CHRISTIAN COUNTRY WERE CHRISTIANS HAD FREEDOM OF WORSHIP NOT DICTATED BY THE STATE.

TRY STUDYING THE HISTORY OF THIS COUNTRY

[apackof2]

"It is impossible to govern rightly without God and the Bible."--- George Washington

"Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of people that these liberties are the gift of God?"--- Thomas Jefferson

"With malice towards none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right."---Abraham Lincoln, Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865

"We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government: upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God."--- James Madison

"I have lived, Sir, a long time and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth -- that God governs the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire cannot rise without His aid? We have been assured in the sacred writings that, 'except the Lord build the house they labor in vain that build it.'"--- Benjamin Franklin, at the Constitutional Convention, June 28, 1787

"We have this day restored the Sovereign to whom all men ought to be obedient. He reigns in Heaven, and from the rising to the setting of the sun, let His Kingdom come."--- Samuel Adams, as he signed the Declaration of Independence

"Our Fathers were brought up by their veneration for the Christian religion. They journeyed by its light, and labored in its hope. They sought to incorporate its principles within the elements of their society, and to diffuse its influence through all their institutions -- civil, political, or literary."--- Daniel Webster

"To the distinguished character of a Patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of a Christian."--- George Washington

"A patriot without religions is as great a paradox as an honest man without the fear of God...The scriptures tell us 'righteousness exalts a nation.'"--- Abigail Adams

"The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected in one indissoluble bond, the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity."--- John Quincy Adams

"Here is my Creed. I believe in one God, the Creator of the Universe. That He governs it by His Providence. That He ought to be worshipped...As to Jesus of Nazareth...I think the System of Morals and his Religion, as he left them to us, is the best the World ever saw, or is likely to see."---Benjamin Franklin

"No power over the freedom of religion...[is] delegated to the United States by the Constitution."---Thomas Jefferson

"Proclaim liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof."---Leviticus 25:10, inscribed on the Liberty Bell

"We have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us." ---Abraham Lincoln's 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation

"Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle."---George Washington, in his farewell address

"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." ---Benjamin Franklin

"Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!"---Patrick Henry, Speech in the Virginia Convention, March, 1775

"The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time."---Thomas Jefferson

"Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is Just,"---Thomas Jefferson

"Whatever makes men good Christians, makes them good citizens."---Daniel Webster

"Thank God! I--I also--am an American!"---Daniel Webster

"God grants liberty only to those who love it, and are always ready to guard and defend it."---Daniel Webster

[apackof2]

National Day of Fasting Proclaimed

Washington, D.C.

March 30, 1863

Senator James Harlan of Iowa, whose daughter later married President Lincoln's son Robert, introduced this Resolution in the Senate on March 2, 1863. The Resolution asked President Lincoln to proclaim a national day of prayer and fasting. The resolution was adopted on March 3 and signed by Lincoln on March 30.

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. A PROCLAMATION.

Whereas, the Senate of the United States, devoutly recognizing the Supreme Authority and just Government of Almighty God, in all the affairs of men and of nations, has, by a resolution, requested the President to designate and set apart a day for national prayer and humiliation.

And whereas, it is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions, in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.

And, insomuch as we know that by His divine law nations, like individuals, are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world, may we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war, which now desolates the land, may be but a punishment inflicted upon us, for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole People? We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth, and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God..We have forgotten the gracious Hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessingswere produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us!

It behooves us, then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.

Now, therefore, in compliance with the request, and fully concurring in the views of the Senate, I do, by this my proclamation, designate and set apart Thursday, the thirtieth day of April, 1863, as a day of national humiliation, fasting, and prayer. And I do hereby request all the People to abstain, on that day, from their ordinary secular pursuits, and to unite, at their several places of public worship and their respective homes, in keeping the day holy to the Lord, and devoted to the humble discharge of the religious duties proper to that solemn occasion.

All this being done, in sincerity and truth, let us then rest humbly in the hope authorized by the Divine preaching, that the united cry of the Nation will be heard on high, and answered with blessings, no less than the pardon of our national sins, and the restoration of our now divided and suffering Country, to its former happy condition of unity and peace.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this theirtieth day of March, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the United States the eighty-seventh.

BY THE PRESIDENT: ALRAHAM lINCOLN WILLIAM SEWARD, SECRETARY OF STATE

Source: The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, edited by Roy P. Basler.

[widowithfoursons]

GW should deliver this exact speech, (attributing it to George Washington, our Founding Father) at any Thanksgiving event he attends. But that would take courage, and we all know that politicos these days are ashamed to thank God for His blessings. They would want to include thanks to Allah, Buddha, the Dali Lama, and probably Lucifer in the address.

[Paul Ross]

You really don't know how to read the 1st Amendment, and appear to be grossly ignorant of the legislative intent surrounding that Amendment.

[Fintan]

"To bad the ACLU wasn't around in 1789 to set him straight..."

Yeah. Bummer.

However, with all due respect, I suspect a bunch of smug, mouth-breathing, ignorant "lawyers" wouldn't have lasted very long fighting for their beliefs.

Assuming, of course, that they would have the balls to actually stand up and be counted.

Just a thought.

[Fintan]

If you wnat my hand in marriage you'll help me out here...

[StACase]

You really don't know how to read the 1st Amendment, and appear to be grossly ignorant of the legislative intent surrounding that Amendment.

What I really don't know how to do is remember to use "< /sarcasm >" when I should. Actually I didn't think it was necessary, but I see that you and a few others are a little over the edge on this topic. But that's OK we need a few edgy folks who press on and don't look back. They can be good allies.