A PROCLAMATION by the President of the United States of America:
November 21, 2003
Each year on Thanksgiving, we gather with family and friends to thank
God for the many blessings He has given us, and we ask God to continue
to guide and watch over our country.
Almost 400 years ago, after surviving their first winter at Plymouth,
the Pilgrims celebrated a harvest feast to give thanks. George
Washington proclaimed the first National Day of Thanksgiving in 1789,
and Abraham Lincoln revived the tradition during the Civil War. Since
that time, our citizens have paused to express thanks for the bounty of
blessings we enjoy and to spend time with family and friends. In want or
in plenty, in times of challenge or times of calm, we always have
reasons to be thankful.
America is a land of abundance, prosperity, and hope. We must never
take for granted the things that make our country great: a firm
foundation of freedom, justice, and equality; a belief in democracy and
the rule of law; and our fundamental rights to gather, speak, and
worship freely.
These liberties do not come without cost. Throughout history, many have
sacrificed to preserve our freedoms and to defend peace around the
world. Today, the brave men and women of our military continue this
noble tradition. These heroes and their loved ones have the gratitude of
our Nation.
On this day, we also remember those less fortunate among us. They are
our neighbors and our fellow citizens, and we are committed to reaching
out to them and to all of those in need in our communities.
This Thanksgiving, we again give thanks for all of our blessings and
for the freedoms we enjoy every day. Our Founders thanked the Almighty
and humbly sought His wisdom and blessing. May we always live by that
same trust, and may God continue to watch over and bless the United
States of America.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of
America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 27,
2003, as a National Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage Americans to gather
in their homes, places of worship, and community centers to share the
spirit of understanding and prayer and to reinforce ties of family and
community.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-first day
of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand three, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
twenty-eighth.
GEORGE W. BUSH
2003 Thanksgiving Proclamation is one of the
Bush Thanksgiving Proclamations made by George Bush.
Festivals : Thanksgiving :
Proclamations
: Presidential : After Lincoln : 2003 Thanksgiving
Proclamation