Fighting for Liberty
Including the Liberty to Give Thanks
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord. Across the uncertain ways of space and time
our hearts echo those words, for the
days are with us again when, at the gathering of the harvest, we solemnly
express our dependence upon Almighty God.
The final months of this year, now almost spent, find our Republic and the Nations joined with
it waging a battle on many fronts for the preservation of liberty. In giving thanks for the greatest harvest in
the history of our Nation, we who plant and reap can well resolve that in the
year to come we will do all in our power to pass that milestone; for by labors
in the fields we can share some part of the sacrifice with our brothers and
sons who wear the uniform of the United States.
It is fitting that we recall the reverent words of George Washington, "Almighty God, we make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the United States in Thy holy Protection," and that every American in his own way lift his voice to heaven.
I recommend that all of us bear in mind this great Psalm:
"The Lord is
my shepherd; I shall not want.
"He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters.
"He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me,
"Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: though anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
Inspired with faith and courage by these words, let us turn again to the work that confronts us in this time of national emergency: in the armed services and the merchant marine; in factories and offices; on farms and in the mines; on highways, railways, and airways; in other places of public service to the Nation; and in our homes.
Now, Therefore, I, Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United States of America, do hereby invite the attention of the people to the joint resolution of Congress approved December 26, 1941, which designates the fourth Thursday in November of each year as Thanksgiving Day; and I request that both Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 1942, and New Years Day, January 1, 1943, be observed in prayer, publicly and privately.
Americans understandably take both Thanksgiving and the liberty to give thanks, in their own way, for granted. But in November 1942, less than a year after the Axis Powers initiated war on the United States, liberty was in peril throughout the world. Fortunately, America and her allies, including the United Kingdom, were fighting back. Leaders like FDR and Winston Churchill, both pictured above on the HMS Prince of Wales concluding the Atlantic Charter, understood the threat and rallied their respective Nations to victory. As we give thanks today, let us also remember leaders such as these and the innumerable sacrifices by those who followed them in a war that preserved both Democracy and Liberty.
"He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters.
"He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me,
"Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: though anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
Inspired with faith and courage by these words, let us turn again to the work that confronts us in this time of national emergency: in the armed services and the merchant marine; in factories and offices; on farms and in the mines; on highways, railways, and airways; in other places of public service to the Nation; and in our homes.
Now, Therefore, I, Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United States of America, do hereby invite the attention of the people to the joint resolution of Congress approved December 26, 1941, which designates the fourth Thursday in November of each year as Thanksgiving Day; and I request that both Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 1942, and New Years Day, January 1, 1943, be observed in prayer, publicly and privately.
* * * * *
Americans understandably take both Thanksgiving and the liberty to give thanks, in their own way, for granted. But in November 1942, less than a year after the Axis Powers initiated war on the United States, liberty was in peril throughout the world. Fortunately, America and her allies, including the United Kingdom, were fighting back. Leaders like FDR and Winston Churchill, both pictured above on the HMS Prince of Wales concluding the Atlantic Charter, understood the threat and rallied their respective Nations to victory. As we give thanks today, let us also remember leaders such as these and the innumerable sacrifices by those who followed them in a war that preserved both Democracy and Liberty.
