Mess of the Damned

How did I miss this? This year is 1789. According to Wikipedia “a common year starting on Thursday.” Rather a momentous year for the United States and to think I didn’t realize the correspondence until this grand year was mostly over. I refer you to the Wikipedia entry for the full story and leave you with this:

On Thursday, November 26, 1789 the United States observed a day of Thanksgiving proclaimed by recently inaugurated President George Washington.

By the President of the United States of America,
a 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 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 which we experienced 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 enabled 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 hath 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 shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord–To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease 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 third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

G^o Washington

The national celebration of Thanksgiving was spotty from 1789 until Lincoln’s similar proclamation in 1863. And we’ve gorged ourselves on turkey and stuffing ever since.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody.

Executive Mansion,
Washington, _________________, 186 .

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought
forth, upon this continent, a new nation, conceived
in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that
“all men are created equal”
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing
whether that nation, or any nation so conceived,
and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met
on a great battle field of that war. We have
come to dedicate a portion of it, as a final rest-
ing place for those who died here, that the nation
might live. This we may, in all propriety do. But, in a
larger sense, we can not dedicate _ we can not
consecrate _ we can not hallow, this ground _
The brave men, living and dead, who struggled
here, have hallowed it, far above our poor power
to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long
remember what we say here; while it can never
forget what they did here.
It is rather for us, the living, we here be dedica
ted to the great task remaining before us _
that, from these honored dead we take in-
creased devotion to that cause for which
they here, gave the last full measure of de-
votion _ that we here highly resolve these
dead shall not have died in vain, that
the nation, shall have a new birth of free-
dom, and that government of the people by
the people for the people shall not per-
ish from the earth.

The Nicolay Draft of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.

Delivered (in somewhat modified form) by President Abraham Lincoln at the Dedication of the National Cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. November 19, 1863