Religious piety. Gratitude. Patriotism. Zealous love of liberty. Honor for hard work. All of these are apparent in George Washington’s original Thanksgiving proclamation, after the Constitution’s ratification, establishing the holiday we know and love so well.
It is always wise to learn from the great men of the past as we forge ahead into the future. Thanksgiving is a holiday particularly suited to reflections on American heroes, since it is the uniquely American holiday, from the Pilgrims and Indians sharing squash and deer to the Founders thanking God in churches for a successful Revolution to Abraham Lincoln and Sarah Josepha Hale reaffirming American principles in the midst of the Civil War. What did Thanksgiving mean to our grandfathers and their grandfathers? And how can we model ourselves on their virtues?
George Washington’s 1789 Thanksgiving proclamation is not very long and is certainly worth reading in full, but I’m going to focus on one passage in particular, which is the bulk of his message to Americans.
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, which we experienced 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 hath been pleased to confer upon us.
The first and most obvious point is that Washington meant Thanksgiving to be specifically a religious Judeo-Christian holiday. He did not mention turkeys or stuffing, but he did urge all Americans to thank God for their blessings. Arguably, gratitude is the foundational virtue of all other virtues, and without it, one cannot be truly good. By encouraging Americans not only to cultivate gratitude but specifically gratitude toward God, Washington was attesting to the fact that faith inspired Americans to fight for and achieve independence, then establish a unique nation.
Washington also touched upon the great work which Americans engaged in — not only in fighting for independence, but also in the less glorious but equally essential work of building up the nation economically, politically, and culturally. And, of course, he aimed for Thanksgiving to be a patriotic holiday. Gratitude was the order of the day, and Americans were to be grateful most of all for the blessing of liberty. More than material prosperity, peace, or unity, freedom was the greatest prize that God gave to us.
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It is interesting that Washington followed up the above passage by emphasizing the need to ask God for forgiveness for any of our personal or national transgressions. He understood that excellence could only come to each American citizen and to our republic as a whole if we are critical enough to notice our own faults and failings, and courageous enough to correct them. Part of our national crisis now is that, both individually and nationally, we are so focused on screaming about the wrongs of the past and inventing wrongs that do not exist that we seldom stop to ask where we ourselves are going wrong. We could use a little of the humility of our forefathers.
So as we celebrate Thanksgiving today, praying to God, enjoying our favorite foods, and socializing with our loved ones, let us also take a little time to reflect on what Thanksgiving meant to the men who founded our nation.
