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Capitol Comment
by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
American Liberties are Cause for Real Thanksgiving
November 16, 2007
Long before serving as one of this nation’s greatest Presidents, Ronald Reagan quipped that he has “always thought of America as a place in the divine scheme of things that was set aside as a promised land.” Truly, we live in a nation of great prosperity. But perhaps what is more important, we live in a nation where we may exercise free will, speak without censorship, and worship in the way we choose. The Thanksgiving holiday allows us to reflect on these American liberties that have been defended with enormous sacrifice throughout our country’s history.
In 1621, the Pilgrims who had settled at Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts set apart a day to celebrate their first successful harvest. These early settlers had more to be thankful for that day than just a bountiful crop. They rejoiced in the promise of living outside of oppression and under the liberties God intended for all mankind. In 1789, George Washington built on that first Plymouth feast and issued the first national Thanksgiving proclamation, devoting a day for Americans to observe their sincere and humble thanks for our nation’s prosperity.
Nearly eight decades later, the United States was deeply embroiled in its greatest internal conflict. The War Between the States had been raging for two years, and Americans would endure another two years of bloody strife. Yet Abraham Lincoln, demonstrating principled leadership, called on the nation to reflect on its blessings. He issued a proclamation designating April 30, 1863 a national day of fasting, prayer, and humility. In his charge to our divided country, the President said, “We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven; we have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no nation has ever grown.”
Though our modern-day Thanksgiving holiday, marked by feasting and celebration, seems in sharp contrast to the fasting and humility President Lincoln urged so many years ago, the importance of recognizing our blessings and prosperity remains. And if America, under Lincoln’s leadership, offered gratitude on a solemn day in a dark period, our thankfulness on a day of celebration should be boundless. As we gather around our tables this year and recount our blessings, I hope that each of us will consider how much we have to be thankful for.
On this Thanksgiving Day in particular, as so many of our military servicemen and women are separated from their loved ones, we should recognize how fortunate we are to be served and protected by our nation's armed forces. It is because of those who have defended this nation--from the early Revolutionary War to today's Global War on Terror--that we have the liberties that have allowed us to grow and prosper. I encourage all Texans to reach out to friends whose loved ones are serving overseas, and especially thank them during this holiday.
The 21st century has brought a new and unique set of challenges, in many ways starkly different from the conflict of Lincoln’s day, but also bearing high stakes. Today, the United States is fighting a new kind of war against a foreign adversary who fundamentally opposes democracy and is determined to destroy our way of life. In this struggle too, freedom will prevail.
The liberties we so vigilantly protect have created a country where every person can pursue opportunity and exercise personal freedom as no other nation allows. This realization alone gives us much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving Day.
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