The True Reason For America's Thanksgiving

The ignorance surrounding the true reason for Thanksgiving in America is just amazing to behold. America was traditionally known as a Christian nation, but I challenge you to pick up and read most newspapers, magazines, or watch television on programs about the meaning for Thanksgiving in America and you will rarely hear the true reason for this most important American holiday, which is summed up in one word, "God". Every Thanksgiving holiday every American should begin the practice of reading our first President's, George Washington, Thanksgiving Proclamation and then get together with family, friends, and fellow citizens and give thanks to Almighty God in prayer.

Here is a copy of President George Washington's Thanksgiving Proclamation in order to start this practice:

George Washington's 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation

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 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 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 enable 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 to be best.

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

George Washington

Why There is Hope for America

On July 4, 2007, I discovered an essay contest for Citizen magazine at the Focus on the Family's website. The topic was, "Why There is Hope for America." I felt compelled from the heart to write this 500 word essay, so since July 4th I have been working on this essay. I have finished it today and submitted it.

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This is the essay that I wrote:

Why There is Hope for America

by Mark O'Neil

The shores of America have always been a land of hope, hope of religious expression and freedom from Jamestown to the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock, hope of independence for thirteen colonies seeking to secure certain unalienable Rights to Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness, hope of freedom and equality for Africans abducted and forced into slavery, hope of equal representation and opportunity for women as coequal partners with men, and hope of new beginnings and new opportunities for immigrants leaving the old world behind for the new. However, it was one foundational hope that made America great and from this one hope overflowed all the blessings and the expressions of the other hopes. The founding fathers of our nation expressed this foundational hope for our nation in these words, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” For it is when men anchor their hope in their Creator who endowed them with certain unalienable Rights, that these Rights are realized as blessings to men from their Creator, and when men anchor their hope elsewhere, these same blessings suffer from less than the equal and full measure of expression among mankind.

Because hope in the hearts of good men may grow dim and the assurance it brings may be neglected by them, and because there are evil and ignorant men among mankind who have contempt for their Creator, for His obvious design for Nature, and who strive to do all within their limited power to deceive, corrupt, and destroy the hope of men, then we must be ever vigilant to cultivate hope in our Creator and the assurance it brings to the hearts of men. Therefore all men who earnestly seek to experience the equal and full measure of the expression of their Rights should fix the foundation of their hope with a sacred solemn covenant in Nature’s God. For when the People of a nation fix their hope in Nature’s God, then He will restore the blessing of experiencing the equal and full measure of the Rights with which He endowed to them. Therefore when God can find at least one man in our nation who is willing to firmly fix the foundation of his hope in the Creator then there is hope for America.

However, history has proven that not all men will heed the Patriot’s call of our founding fathers to entrust themselves to their Creator. Therefore we must continuously strive to keep the Patriot’s call of our founding fathers by fervently guarding the hope with which we were entrusted until the day the last Patriot is no more. When this day arrives, Nature’s God will intervene into the affairs of men to champion His own cause bringing to full fruition His designs for Nature and for the blessings He endowed to men.

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It was difficult for me to keep the essay within 500 words, because there was so much truth and context that I wanted to bring to this specific subject and that I felt everyone needed to hear. I obviously had more to say on the matter. However, the contest being what it is, this is the best I could do in the time and words allowed.

As an afterword, I based my essay upon the principles from the entire chapter of Jeremiah 35 with the blessing of the Lord in verses 18 and 19 in my mind. I also drew upon my general knowledge of God’s word, the Declaration of Independence, American history, and our national motto, “In God We Trust.” All these afore mentioned things were combined and written in a style to honor the heritage which our founding fathers passed on to us, their posterity, and to hopefully pass on these same things and this essay on to our own posterity.