Proclamation 6625—Thanksgiving Day, 1993

From the beginnings of our Nation, we have sought to recognize the providence and mercy of God with words and acts of gratitude, indeed with effort and energy toward helping others wherever need occurred. In the colorful days and weeks when the autumn of the year brings ripe and fruitful harvest across our land, Americans give thanks for many blessings. It is a time of bounty and generosity, a time to come together in peace.

This is the true spirit of Thanksgiving: acknowledging God's graciousness, and in response, reaching out in service to others. This spirit was apparent in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1621, when Pilgrim immigrants sat down with Native Americans and celebrated their common harvest.

This same spirit of Thanksgiving inspires our great Nation and our people to act with justice and concern toward all the peoples of the world and toward one another here at home. We are grateful for the dramatic progress made towards a comprehensive peace in the Middle East and for the Agreement signed in our United States; we are thankful for the relief efforts that our Nation and others have undertaken where natural disasters have struck unmercifully.

Still, in this final decade of the twentieth century, we face great challenges. The troubled areas of our world continue to challenge our ability to find peaceful and equitable solutions. On this Thanksgiving Day, the hospitality and harmony of loved ones, friends, and neighbors, remind each of us that we belong to the larger family of mankind.

As we gather together during this sacred and cherished time, let us pledge to build a new America where everyone will have a place at the table, and no one will be left out. In this way we will truly maintain the spirit of Thanksgiving that has enriched our country since its beginnings. While recognizing the importance of individual responsibility, we will continue to place the strength and benevolence of this great Nation at the service of all its people, indeed of all the peoples of the earth. Then, in these richer years, we will reap a true and fruitful harvest.

Now, Therefore, 1, 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, 1993, as a National Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage the citizens of this great Nation to gather in their homes, places of worship, or wherever they may choose to express heartfelt thanks for the abundance bestowed on us throughout our history.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this seventeenth day of November, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and eighteenth.

WILLIAM J. CLINTON