Show americal Ame A 1 Z 4 I 1 Thanks gi V ing 1 64 D ays sy y ON AJ 1 I 1 jy c i 3 since tile the eail cail lest times and throughout all tile the nr lint lions ions of the earth there has been and still is observed some sort rort of festival in celebration of the ingathering of tile grains and fruits of the he soil moreover religious service of some soine sort have always had a prominent part in the festival As in ancient times tile peoples offered kofl ored sacrifices and gave to some special deity city in gratitude for the present and supplication for the future so today I 1 j tile the sacrifice of 0 praise and thanksgiving for the blessings of the present and solemn player tor for their continuance in the future fire arc offered to god the old testament Is filled with exhortations calling the hebrews to their first fruits foults unto tile house of the lord to adorn the temple tempie vm boughs find and palm branches and ami continue the feast and rejoicing for anen days aln vs tile the ancient egyptians offered ici and gave offerings ings of corn und and file to tn neith the Iti othor of the sun still the ancient and an scandinavians laiq offered sacrifices to prey the go god of rain and sunshine rind ami the fie author and protector of all fruits of tile the soil although tor for the most part pi besent day celebrations are connected with the final ingathering of the crops the festive observance in many countries is still made with the first fruits distinctively american hut but thanksgiving as commemorated in america Is distinctively an amell ameil can institution the day finds its birth in that first thanksgiving observed by the doughty pilgrims of oc plymouth colony in the fall of ii alio lie vere N ere justly grateful for the first harvest in their new home hoine in massachusetts chu and governor bradford Hrad tord appointed three days of thanksgiving and feasting chief massasoit ind other friendly indians were bidden to the feast and brought with them four dressed deer the dav dain n of the first day ot of thanksgiving ing was broken by the booming of a great cannon and later a solemn procession filed toward the meetinghouse alder brewster carried the grent great nible bible and governor bradford followed in tile roar rear after the service the party returned to the central log cabin cabill vi here zihere all enjoyed such a feast as they had not tasted since leaving their home land the year be fore the ceremonies lasted for three days find and it Is to be doubted it if many similar gatherings since have been filled with such friendliness and broth ei liness as characterized tills this first day of thankfulness although the first year in the new land had been a hard one for the colonists nearly halt half of their number dying during the first teril ble anter v inter yet they felt that t they hey had much to be grateful for sponsored by governor bradford the year 1022 1622 was wen even more fraught with misfortune but again they declared and observed their thanks find and continued to do so year after year later the idea of governor bradford radford IS a period of rejoicing together after ft a mure more special manner was taken up lip by other colonies such Is as boston II oston salem and virginia the state of connecticut did much to foster and encourage the annual celebration of day and by the first quarter of tire the following century tile the full fall festival had become well es deliverance from tf ic spanish for the dutch early in the seventeenth century cast off the yoke of the spanish just as our forefathers later threw off lie of britain arltain because their I 1 rights were invaded and they were taxed without their consent in the new amsterdam new york the first thanksgiving proclamation on record was in ac kha 44 in gratitude for deliverance from the indians thanksgiving in december 1 with the coming of revolutionary times the custom of thanksgiving days spread still further in october 1775 5 a proclamation was issued for I 1 thanksgiving to be observed december IS 15 signed by order of the provincial congress john Hanco lck pre president this proclamation Is note not e n orthy since it was the first to appear without the royal arms arm and the words word god save the king previous to that date data the proclamations had bad read some thing after this fashion 1713 in the seventeenth year of tile the reign of 0 our sovereign lord george the see gec ond by the grace of god of great I 1 Irit aln france and ireland king defender of the faith etc god save the king the first national proclamation for a thanksgiving was made by the continental tin ItIn congress designating december 18 1777 the next nest year december SO 30 inas vi as set apart although in slay may a special day ot of thanks had been appointed upon receipt of the news that france had signed a treaty of alliance with the thirteen states ot of the american union proclamation after the signing of peace with great britain in october congress appointed december 11 as a day of thanksgiving in january 1795 1793 george washington issued a national proclamation for F february 10 in recognition tion of our exemption from foreign war the prospect of continued exemption and the great degree of internal tranquility and directing the people to render thanks to the great ruler ot of nations tor for the manifold and signal mercies m atch distinguished our lot as a nation not until april did another no na dional thanksgiving occur proclaimed almed by president madison upon the conclusion of the war of 1812 during the civil war president lincoln appointed a day of thanksgiving following the victory at gettysburg and it was vias he who established the custom ot 09 presidents issuing annual thanksgiving proclamations appointing the last thursday of november today the governors of many of the states issue proclamations in conjunction alth of the president so that Thanks thanksgiving givin la Is the one holiday of the year receive ing official sanction and personal gnp 5 port on the part of americans of alf alt political and religious beliefs T throughout the new kew world the dutch settlers of 0 new amsterdam had brought with will them memories ot of days in holland libere indeed inac ed the had also been initiated into tile dutch manner of 0 ob sery corvine ing sueh festivals tho the annual daltia day tin tho the netherlands rull fell early in october when the people alent ent to church to thank god for their fa sags |