From the desk of Jan Hommel, Museum Director:

The following historic proclamation was issued by George Washington during his first year as President of the United States. President Washington proclaims Thursday, the 26^th of November, 1789, a day of “public thanksgiving and prayer” devoted 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.” As our country continues to have passionate debates and discussions over the role of religion in politics and government, this Thanksgiving Proclamation reminds us how natural their relationship has been from the very beginning of America. Although the roles of church and state are separate, religion and politics have always stood side by side supporting and holding each other up. We would like to encourage you to share this beautifully written proclamation with family and friends at your Thanksgiving meal next Thursday as you pause to give thanks to our Father for his unfailing love and abundant blessings.

By the PRESIDENT
of the UNITED STATES of AMERICA,
a PROCLAMTION

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 26^th 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 of the conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty 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 best.

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

G. Washington

After the proclamation was written it was lost for over 100 years. It had been attached to some private papers and was misplaced in the process of moving official records from one city to another when the capital was changed. The original proclamation was not entered into the official archives until 1921, when the assistant chief of the manuscripts division of the Library of Congress, Dr. J.C. Fitzpatrick, found the document at an auction sale at an art gallery in New York. It was written in long hand by William Jackson, who was the secretary to President Washington, and was signed by George Washington. Fitzpatrick purchased the proclamation for $300.00 for the Library of Congress, where it now resides.

While there were Thanksgiving observances both before and after President Washington’s proclamation, this was the first to be designated by the new national government. On October 3, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation calling for the observance of the fourth Tuesday of November as a national holiday. In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the holiday to the third Thursday of November, to extend the Christmas shopping season and boost the economy. After many protests, Roosevelt changed the holiday again in 1941 to the fourth Thursday in November, where it remains today.

We wish you a blessed Thanksgiving holiday as we acknowledge with grateful hearts, the many blessings that Almighty God has bestowed upon us and our nation and we are thankful for the men and women who have fought and those who continue to fight for and protect our God-given freedoms that we enjoy each day. Happy Thanksgiving!