Thanksgiving is more than a family holiday or way of thinking. It is a national treasure.
Public recognition of God’s Providence has been part of the country’s history and traditions, from the pilgrims to the founding era, from civil war to today, and it is important to share the true meaning of Thanksgiving. It is an important part of our Judaism and Christian heritage. To this day, during Thanksgiving week, Congress ensures that National Bible Week and the Bible have an impact on America, and that these timeless traditions are the lifeline of America.
The tradition of sharing meals and appreciating family and freedom dates back to 1620, when 52 Mayflower survivors landed in Massachusetts and enjoyed a three-day meal with Native Americans.
Interestingly, surrounded by Virginia’s beautiful countryside, the plantation is one of America’s most protected secrets, famously known as the Berkeley Farm. It is also the actual first Thanksgiving location on December 4th, 1619, the birthplace of William Henry Harrison, the Declaration of Independence signatories, Benjamin Harrison, and the Ninth President of the United States. The order given by the Berkeley Company to the Woodleaf No declared that their arrival “must be permanently sacred as a day of thanks to the Almighty God.” And that’s exactly what they did – two years. Lawmakers have worked to make this history recorded. And now, this prayer tradition during the Virginia Thanksgiving Festival has been revived, making it an annual commemorative event.
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The American founder deliberately encouraged a public thanksgiving to God for his enumerated blessings. On September 25, 1789, the Bill of Rights was ratified by the Senate. The First Amendment was approved by Congress and sent to the state for final approval. However, after the Framer completed the Bill of Rights, House of Representatives member Elias Boudinot said he could not consider passing the session without offering all the opportunities to offer him the opportunity to thank God for his many blessings. That same day, the US House passed the following resolution:
“I made my decision by being instructed by a joint committee of both houses to wait for the President of the United States and asking the people of the United States to encourage public thanks and prayer days, particularly by approving many signals of Almighty God, and by ensuring an opportunity to secure the constitution of the government, especially for their safety and happiness.”
On October 3, 1789, President George Washington declared, on November 26, 1789, a national day of Thanksgiving to thank God to the Constitution and our new American government.
“On the other hand, it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to thank his interests, to beg for his protection and favor, but I have requested that by their joint committees, both joint committees, be acknowledged to the American people, to be recognized by me to be recognized by the American people, and to be recognized by them as being particularly grateful, to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”
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That same year, the Protestant Anglican Church, which was a member of Washington, announced that the first Thursday in November would be a regular day to give thanks “unless another day is appointed by the civic authorities.” In fact, by 1815, various state governments had issued at least 1,400 official prayer declarations. Almost half of Thanksgiving and Prayer time, while the other half is fasting and Prayer time.
Mrs. Sarah Josepha Hale, editor of “Godey’s Lady’s Book,” deserves many credits for adopting Thanksgiving as an annual holiday. For 20 years, Hale contacted the president who was trying to promote the idea. Finally, in 1863, on the darkest day of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln replied: Lincoln issued a formal declaration passed by Congressional acts, putting it aside on the last Thursday of November as the first annual national day of gratitude and praise.
The Thanksgiving Declaration called the Americans to pray with optimism and true gratitude, saying, “The counsel of man did not devise these wonderful things, and did these great things. They are the graceful gifts of the highest God while they are angry at our sins.”
It is important to remember that freedom is not free as you are gathering with your loved ones this holiday season. Thank you to the men and women who have pioneered this great nation into a beacon of freedom, and to the frontlines who lay their lives on the line every day to preserve it. {eoa}
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Mat Staver is the founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, a nonprofit litigation, education and policy organization that enhances religious freedom, the holiness of human life and family.
