Thanksgiving’s forgotten ally

The first version of the holiday reminds us to repent | Matthew P. Ristuccia

On Oct. 3, 1863, Abraham Lincoln invited the people "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." To this day the president issues a yearly proclamation that sets aside a day in November as a holiday for "all Americans . . . to give thanks for the freedoms and many blessing we enjoy" (President Bush, 2005).

I discovered Lincoln's 1863 proclamation online and, unlike so much in cyberspace, it has stuck with me. For one thing, it was written in the third year of the Civil War, a difficult time for anyone—especially a leader—to give thanks. Nevertheless, Lincoln encouraged people to look beyond the hostilities in order to discern "the ever watchful providence of Almighty God." And Lincoln himself led the way. In the proclamation, he gives thanks for clement weather and a rich harvest, for protection against international aggression during a time of internecine strife, and for an increased abundance of crop and industry that offset the expense of battle.