BONUS – The 1789 Thanksgiving Day Proclamation by President George Washington

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Because understanding great literature is better than trying to read and understand

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yet another business book on the Leadership Lessons from the Great Books

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Podcast, we commit to reading, dissecting, and analyzing the great

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books of the Western canon. You know, those

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books from Jane Austen to Shakespeare and everything else in

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between that you might have fallen asleep trying to read in high

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school. We do this for our listeners, the owner, the

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entrepreneur, the manager, or the civic leader who doesn’t have the time

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to read, dissect, analyze, and leverage insights from

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literature to execute leadership best practices in the

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confusing and chaotic postmodern world we all now

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inhabit. Welcome to the rescuing of Western

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Civilization at the intersection of literature

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and leadership. Welcome to the Leadership Lessons from

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the Great Books Podcast from the Fred W.

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Smith National Library for the Study of George

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Washington and Mount Vernon Thanksgiving

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by T.K. Byron, Ph.D., Assistant

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Professor of History, Dalton. State College

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Quote since the settlement of. The colonies, Americans were

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familiar with setting. Aside days of thanksgiving, prayer, and

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fasting. In response to significant events.

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In 1789, President George Washington issued a

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proclamation designating November 26th of that year as a national

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day of Thanksgiving to recognize the role of Providence in creating

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the new United States and the new federal Constitution.

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Later, President Abraham Lincoln took steps towards designating it a

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permanent federal holiday. Americans

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traditionally recognize the first Thanksgiving as having taken place at

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Plymouth Colony in the autumn of 1621.

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The separatist Puritan settlers of Plymouth, known as Pilgrims,

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held a feast after their first harvest as a way of thanking God for their

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blessings. Invited to their observance were members of the neighboring

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Wampanoag tribe, among whom such a harvest celebration was also

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neither unfamiliar nor uncommon.

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The 1621 Thanksgiving celebration, however, did not become an annual event.

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Rather, residents of Plymouth and the other colonies held days

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of thanksgiving and fasting over the years at different times of the year

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and for a variety of reasons.

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During the American Revolution, the practice continued. Colonial

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legislatures set aside days of prayer to recognize military victories against

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the British Army. After British General John Burgoyne

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surrendered to the Americans at Saratoga, New York, in

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October 1777, the Continental Congress suggested that a national

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day be set aside to recognize the victory. Commander

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of the Continental Army, General George Washington agreed, proclaiming

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December 18, 1777, as the first national

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Thanksgiving Day. The Continental Congress supported similar

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Thanksgiving proclamations through 1784.

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In 1789, Representative Elias

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Boudinot from New Jersey presented a resolution requesting that

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Congress persuade the now President of Washington to

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declare Thanksgiving observance in honor of the creation of the new United States

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Constitution. Congress agreed and passed the

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resolution creating a joint committee to make their request to the

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President, Washington issued a proclamation on October

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3, 1789, designating Thursday, November 26,

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as a national day of thanks. In

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his proclamation, Washington declared that the necessity for such a day

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sprung from the Almighty’s care of Americans prior to the Revolution,

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assistance to them in achieving independence, and help in

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establishing the constitutional government. Not ignoring the

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authority of state governments, Washington distributed his proclamation to the

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governors, requesting that they announce and observe the day within

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their states. Newspapers throughout the country

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subsequently published the proclamation, and public celebrations

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were held. Washington himself marked the day by attending

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services at St. Paul’s Chapel in New York City and by donating

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beer and food to imprisoned debtors in the city.

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The 1789 Thanksgiving proclamation, however, did not

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establish a permanent federal holiday. Washington

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issued another proclamation in February 1795 to recognize the

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defeat of a taxation rebellion in Pennsylvania. Later

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presidents, including John Adams and James Madison,

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declared days of thanksgiving, but it. Was not until the Civil war

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of. The 1860s that President Lincoln

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initiated a regular observance of thanksgiving in the

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United states. From the Mount

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Vernon Educational Resources

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Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1789

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by the President of the United States of America. A. Proclamation

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Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of

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Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for

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his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and faith

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favor and whereas both houses of Congress have by their joint committee

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requested me to recommend to the people of the United States

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a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with

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grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God,

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especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a

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form of government for their safety and happiness. Now

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therefore do I recommend and Assign Thursday, the

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26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of

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these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the

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beneficent author of all the good that was, that

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is, or that will be, that we may then all unite in.

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Rendering unto him our sincere and humble. Thanks for his kind care and

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protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation for

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the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions

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of His Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late

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war, for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty

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which we have since enjoyed for the peaceable and rational manner in

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which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our

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safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now

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lately instituted, for the civil and religious liberty with

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which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring

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and diffusing useful knowledge, and in. General

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for all the great and various. Favors which he hath been pleased to confer

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upon us and also that we may then

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unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to

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the great Lord and Ruler of nations, and beseech him to pardon

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our national and other transgressions to enable us all,

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whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative

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duties properly and punctually to render our national

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government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being

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a government of wise, just, and constitutional laws,

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discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed to protect and guide all

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sovereigns and nations, especially such as have shown

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kindness unto us, and to bless them with good government,

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peace and concord, to promote the knowledge and practice of

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true religion and virtue, and the increase of science

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among them and us and generally to grant unto all

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mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he

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alone knows to be best

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given under my hand at the City of New York, the third day of

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October in the year of our Lord

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1789.

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President George Washington

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thank you for listening. And subscribing to the Leadership Lessons from the Great Books

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