THE WHITE HOUSE -
Office of the Press Secretary -
For Immediate Release - November 20, 1999
THANKSGIVING
DAY, 1999
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
Well over three and a half centuries ago, strengthened by
faith and bound by a common desire for liberty, a small band of Pilgrims
sought out a place in the New World where they could worship according
to their own beliefs. Surviving their first harsh winter in Massachusetts
and grateful to a merciful God for a sustaining harvest, the men and women
of Plymouth Colony set aside three days as a time to give thanks for the
bounty of their fields, the fruits of their labor, the chance to live in
peace with their Native American neighbors, and the blessings of a land
where they could live and worship freely.
We have come far on our American journey since that early
Thanksgiving. In the intervening years, we have lived through times of
war and peace, years of poverty and plenty, and seasons of social and political
upheaval that have shaped and forever changed our national character and
experience. As we gather around our Thanksgiving tables again this year,
it is a fitting time to reflect on how the events of our rich history have
affected those we care about and those who came before us. As we acknowledge
the past, we do so knowing that the individual blessings for which we give
thanks may have changed, but our gratitude to God and our commitment to
our fellow Americans remain constant.
Today we count among our national blessings a time of unprecedented
prosperity, with an expanding economy, record low rates of poverty and
unemployment among our people, and the limitless opportunities to improve
the quality of life that new technologies present to us. We can give thanks
today that for the first time in history, more than half the world's people
live under governments of their own choosing. And we remain grateful for
the peace and freedom America continues to enjoy thanks to the courage
and patriotism of our men and women in uniform.
But the spirit of Thanksgiving requires more than just an
acknowledgement of our blessings; it calls upon us to reach out and share
those blessings with others. We must strive to fulfill the promise of the
extraordinary era in which we live and enter the new century with a commitment
to widen the circle of opportunity, break down the prejudices that alienate
us from one another, and build an America of understanding and inclusion,
strong in our diversity, responsible in our freedom, and generous in sharing
our bounty with those in need.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United
States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution
and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 25,
1999, as a National Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage all the people of
the United States to assemble in their homes, places of worship, or community
centers to share the spirit of fellowship and prayer and to reinforce the
ties of family and community; to express heartfelt thanks to God for the
many blessings He has bestowed upon us; and to reach out in true gratitude
and friendship to our brothers and sisters in the larger family of humankind.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twentieth
day of November, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-nine,
and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred
and twenty-fourth.