Thanksgiving in America

As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week, try to test your knowledge of the founding of our country and the beginning of the Thanksgiving celebration we have today.

The following post from www.wallbuilders.com outlines for us the truth about our history and contains many facts you may be unaware of.
 

The tradition of Thanksgiving as a time to focus on God and His blessings dates back almost four centuries in America. While such celebrations occurred at Cape Henry Virginia as early as 1607,[1] it is from the Pilgrims that we derive the current tradition of Thanksgiving.

The Pilgrims set sail for America on September 6, 1620, and for two months braved the harsh elements of a storm-tossed sea. After disembarking at Plymouth Rock, they had a prayer service and began building hasty shelters, but unprepared for a harsh New England winter, nearly half died before spring.[2]

Yet, persevering in prayer, and assisted by helpful Indians,[3] they reaped a bountiful harvest the following summer.[4] The grateful Pilgrims then declared a three-day feast in December 1621 to thank God and to celebrate with their Indian friends[5] America's first Thanksgiving Festival. This began an annual tradition in the New England Colonies that slowly spread into other Colonies.[6]

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 pass 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. With this view, therefore, he would move the following resolution:

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, on any single event, not only as a laudable 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.[7]

The resolution was delivered to President George Washington, who 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.[8]

National Thanksgiving Proclamations occurred sporadically following this one,[9] 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 Josepha Hale, the editor of Godey's Lady's Book. For over twenty years, she promoted the idea of a national Thanksgiving Day,[10] contacting President after President until Abraham Lincoln responded in 1863 by setting aside the last Thursday of November, declaring:

We are prone to forget the Source from which [the blessings of fruitful years and healthful skies] come. . . . No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God. . . . I do, therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States . . . to observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father Who dwelleth in the heavens.[11]

For the next seventy-five years, Presidents followed LincolnÌs precedent, annually declaring a national Thanksgiving Day. Then, in 1941, Congress permanently established the fourth Thursday of each November as a national holiday.[12]

As you celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday this year, remember to retain the original gratefulness to God that has always been the spirit of this, the oldest of all American holidays.

[Congress] recommended [a day of] . . . thanksgiving and praise [so] that the good people may express the grateful feelings of their hearts and join . . . their supplication that it may please God, through the merits of Jesus Christ to forgive [our sins] and . . .to enlarge [His] kingdom which consisteth in righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. (Continental Congress, 1777 - Written by Signers of the Declaration Samuel Adams and Richard Henry Lee)[13]

[I] appoint . . . a day of public Thanksgiving to Almighty God. . . to [ask] Him that He would . . . pour out His Holy Spirit on all ministers of the Gospel; that He would . . . spread the light of Christian knowledge through the remotest corners of the earth; . . . and that He would establish these United States upon the basis of religion and virtue. (Governor Thomas Jefferson, 1779)[14]

I. . appoint . . . a day of public thanksgiving and praise . . . to render to God the tribute of praise for His unmerited goodness towards us . . . [by giving to] us . . . the Holy Scriptures which are able to enlighten and make us wise to eternal salvation. And [to] present our supplications...that He would forgive our manifold sins and . . . cause the benign religion of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to be known, understood, and practiced among all the inhabitants of the earth. (Governor John Hancock, 1790)[15]

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[1] Benson Lossing, Our Country. A Household History of the United States (New York: James A. Bailey, 1895), Vol. 1, pp. 181-182; see also National Park Service, "Robert Hunt: Jamestown's First Chaplain" (at http://www.nps.gov/archive/colo/Jthanout/RHunt.html).

[2] William Bradford, History of Plymouth Plantation (Boston: Little, Brown & Co, 1856), pp. 74, 78, 80, 91.

[3] William Bradford, History of Plymouth Plantation (Boston: Little, Brown & Co, 1856), p. 100.

[4] William Bradford, History of Plymouth Plantation (Boston: Little, Brown & Co, 1856), p. 105.

[5] Ashbel Steele, Chief of the Pilgrims: Or the Life and Time of William Brewster (Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott & Co, 1857), pp. 269-270.

[6] William DeLoss Love, Jr, The Fast and Thanksgiving Days of New England (Boston: Houghton,, Mifflin & Co, 1895), pp. 87-90.

[7] The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United State (Washington: Gales & Seaton, 1834), Vol. I, pp. 949-950.

[8]George Washington, Writings of George Washington, Jared Sparks, editor (Boston: Russell, Odiorne and Metcalf, 1838), Vol. XII, p. 119, Proclamation for a National Thanksgiving on October 3, 1789.

[9] See, for example: H.S.J. Sickel, Thanksgiving: Its Source, Philosophy and History With All National Proclamations (Philadelphia: International Printing Co, 1940), pp. 154-155, "Thanksgiving Day- 1795" by George Washington, pp. 156-157, "Thanksgiving Day -1798" by John Adams, pp. 158-159, "Thanksgiving Day-1799" by John Adams, p. 160, "Thanksgiving Day- 1814" by James Madison, p. 161, "Thanksgiving Day-1815" by James Madison.

[10] Appleton's Cyclopedia of American Biography, James Grant Wilson & John Fiske, editors (New York: D. Appleton & Co, 1888), Vol. III, p. 35.

[11] The Works of Abraham Lincoln, John H. Clifford & Marion M. Miller, editors (New York: University Society Inc, 1908), Vol. VI, pp. 160-161, Proclamation for Thanksgiving, October 3, 1863, The American Presidency Project, "Abraham Lincoln: Proclamation- Thanksgiving Day, 1863" (at http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=69900&st=&st1=)

[12] The National Archives, "Congress Establishes Thanksgiving" (at http://www.archives.gov/legislative/features/thanksgiving/); see also Pilgrim Hall Museum, "Presidential Thanksgiving Proclamations 1940-1949: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman" (at http://www.pilgrimhall.org/ThanxProc1940.htm), Proclamation 2571: Days of Prayer: Thanksgiving Day and New YearÌs Day, November 11, 1942, referring to a Ïjoint resolution of Congress approved December 26, 1941, which designates the fourth Thursday in November of each year as Thanksgiving Day.

[13]Journals of the Continental Congress (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1907), Vol. IX, p. 855, November 1, 1777.

[14] The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Julian P. Boyd, editor (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1951), Vol. 3, p. 178, Proclamation Appointing a Day of Thanksgiving and Prayer, November 11, 1779.

[15] John Hancock: Proclamation for a Day of Public Thanksgiving (Boston, 1790), from an original in possession of the author.

Thank You Is Not Enough

America has many scars and battle wounds, but they have never kept us down. We have more victories than defeats, more heroes than cowards, more great leaders than traitors. We have a military force unequal to any, and it is all voluntary.

For this I say “thank you.” Those words are hardly enough to appreciate the giving of a life or the sacrifice of health. But they are all I have. To all veterans of our military, you are honored and appreciated.

To commemorate the 50^th anniversary of the Vietnam War, I would like to give a special tribute to all those who fought during this conflict. Sadly, you were not honored by some the way you should have been when you returned home, but thankfully those days are over.

May we never forget our heroes (which is anyone who was willing to serve) and may we always acknowledge what they have bought for us. Our country has fought many wars since the fight for independence in 1776. Each one cost many lives. Because of the bravery of thousands, we can be the free and independent nation we are today. We have been blessed because we were willing to stand up and fight for our freedom. God’s light has shone from America as a beacon to the world of His goodness because we made the sacrifices necessary to fight against evil.

Take some time this week to thank a vet.

I would like to honor the veterans in my family:

Ken Latta, US Navy                         Kenny Latta, US Army

Jonathan Latta, US Air Force          Lloyd Watson, US Navy

William Watson, US Army               E.J. Thornton, US Navy

Donald Thornton, US Navy             Billy Ray Thornton, US Navy

Jack Thornton, US Navy                 Hubert Watson, US Army Air Corp          

If you would like to honor some veterans here, please feel free to do so.

Don't Forget To Remember

Have we forgotten the horrors? Have we forgotten the fear? Have we forgotten the threat?

On September 11, 2001, I was attending a ladies Bible study at my church. Someone from the office came in and announced to us that the twin towers had fallen and the Pentagon had been bombed. I immediately left and went home to see if I had missed any phone calls. My husband was in the Navy Reserve at the time and he was stationed in Saudi Arabia. In my mind if the Pentagon had been bombed, then other military installations could have been also.

People were afraid and that week many who hadn't been to church in years, or had never gone before were thronging to centers of worship. But in about two weeks, it all changed.

When it looked as if we were going to survive this, they went back to their routines and decided to let the government save us.

Some blamed God and said, “why did He allow this to happen?” Well, He didn't.

Then how could it happen, you say, if God didn't allow it?

He gives us free choice. He doesn't control us unless we invite Him in to do the controlling. Demon possessed religious fanatics chose to be evil, follow evil, and do evil.

When our government decided to throw God out of all things public they were in effect throwing out our protection. Policies that say, “you can't pray, you can't show a Bible, you can't wear a cross or display a nativity scene,” are telling God we don't want you.

For example, If I walk outside in the rain and put up an umbrella, it protects me from the weather. But if I decide to throw the umbrella away, then look up at the sky, shake my fist, and say, “why are you allowing me to get wet?”, isn't that a little ridiculous?

The same liberals in our government who a few days after the attack stood on the Capital steps and sang in their hypocritical voices, “God Bless America,” are the same ones who now want to embrace Islam, roll out the red carpet, and invite it in. We are told to be tolerant.

Well, you don't make friends with rattlesnakes and expect to not get bitten.

We need to remember September 11, 2001 and not become complacent by closing our eyes again to the threat. We need to remain vigilant, we need to seek God, and we need to remember those who died and those who saved so many.

May God bless you and may God bless America. May we return to our roots and the reason we were founded as a nation. As we do this, we will be the shining light to the world and able to share the blessings God has given us.

Where were you on 9/11 and how has it impacted your life?

History: True or False?

 Did George Washington really cut down a cherry tree and then admit to his father that he couldn't tell a lie? He may have cut down many trees in his lifetime, but that tale was actually written by Parson Mason Weems. He included it in a biography of Washington with several other anecdotes to make it more interesting to portray our first president's heroic feats. The story then became part of General Washington's legacy.

What about Thomas Jefferson? Did he father one of Sally Heming's children? Even though DNA testing was done several years ago, and the results reported in the news media at first confirmed this, it was later recanted. Of course, the retraction was not as publicized due to the embarrassment of the those doing the study. In fact, Jefferson's DNA was not even used in the test. Kind of hard to prove something that way, isn't it?

These are just two examples of some in our society who try to change history and pass down stories and traditions as fact. 

In September of this year, Mount Vernon (George Washington's home in Virginia) will celebrate the opening of  his Presidential Library. This will contain many of his documents and books collected while he was serving as the leader of our country. You can learn more about him on the website www.mountvernon.org.

Another helpful site for the truth about our history on any subject is www.wallbuilders.com. David Barton has collected thousands of original documents and his book, The Jefferson Lies, puts to rest many of the myths about Thomas Jefferson. Believing falsehoods about our roots is a curve in the road we need to navigate by dispelling myths and lies and standing for the truth.

Happy Birthday America and may God continue to bless our country.

Have you found some myths about our history you would like to share?

The Spirit of Thankfulness

 

Thanksgiving Day has come and passed by for another year. The leftovers are gone (except on the waistline!) and now the Christmas decorations come out. Shopping has started with a frenzy and the tug of war to get the best deal has begun.

In the midst of all this chaos, I encourage you to take time to continue to be thankful.  Being grateful is not just for a special day, but it should be a frame of mind we live with always. It only takes a few minutes to stop and think about all the things we have that are sometimes taken for granted.

 We don’t consciously think every time we take a breath, but if you can’t breathe freely you would appreciate every one. What about a home to live in, warmth when it’s cold, food when you are hungry, being able to walk, talk, and see? It’s easy to forget how blessed we are because we have so much in this country. America may have some problems, but it is still the best place on earth to be right now. Even the poorest of our citizens have more than most of the rest of the world.

Remember those who paved the way for our country to be what it is today. Pilgrims braved a journey to an unknown world so they could thank and worship God. Revolutionaries and patriots fought, sacrificed, and died so we could keep it.

Have fun when you are out shopping this Christmas season, but don’t forget that curve of ungratefulness can come upon you unexpectedly. It’s easy to navigate. Just stop and say “thanks”.