Thanksgiving Proclamation
TRANSCRIPTION
[THANKSGIVING—1898.]
By the President of the United States,
A Proclamation.
The approaching November brings to mind the custom of our
ancestors, hallowed by time and rooted in our most sacred traditions, of giving
thanks to Almighty God for all the blessings He has vouchsafed to us during the
year.
Few years in our history have afforded such cause for
thanksgiving as this. We have been blessed by abundant harvests, our trade and
commerce have wonderfully increased, our public credit has been improved and
strengthened, all sections of our common country have been brought together and
knitted into closer bonds of national purpose and unity.
The skies have been for a time darkened by the cloud of war;
but as we were compelled to take up the sword in the cause of humanity we are
permitted to rejoice that the conflict has been of brief duration and the
losses we have had to mourn, though grievous and important, have been so few,
considering the great results accomplished, as to inspire us with gratitude and
praise to the Lord of Hosts. We may laud and magnify His Holy Name that the
cessation of hostilities came so soon as to spare both sides the countless
sorrows and disasters that attend protracted war.
I do therefore invite all my fellow-citizens, as well those
who may be at sea or sojourning in foreign lands as those at home, to set apart
and observe Thursday, the twenty-fourth day of November, as a day of national
thanksgiving, to come together in their several places of worship, for a
service of praise and thanks to Almighty God for all the blessings of the year;
for the mildness of the seasons and the fruitfulness of the soil, for the
continued prosperity of the people, for the devotion and valor of our
countrymen, for the glory of our victory and the hope of a righteous peace, and
to pray that the Divine guidance which has brought us heretofore to safety and
honor may be graciously continued in the years to come.
In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and
caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.
Done at the City of Washington, this twenty-eighth day of
October in the year of Our Lord one thousand eight hundred and ninety-eight and
of the Independence of the United States the one hundred and twenty-third.
WILLIAM McKINLEY
By the President:
JOHN HAY
Secretary of State.
ANALYSIS
President William McKinley’s 1898 Thanksgiving Proclamation
is a vivid reflection of a pivotal moment in U.S. history—issued in the
aftermath of the Spanish-American War. More than a declaration of seasonal
gratitude, this proclamation is a national benediction in a time of military
triumph, economic prosperity, and increasing global presence.
1. Thanksgiving as National Tradition and Civic Ritual
McKinley opens with a nod to the custom’s ancestral
roots—“hallowed by time and rooted in our most sacred traditions”—emphasizing
continuity with the past. The proclamation positions Thanksgiving not merely as
a holiday, but as a solemn civic rite tied to American identity and faith.
2. Material and National Prosperity
The President catalogs numerous blessings:
- “Abundant harvests”
- Booming “trade and
commerce”
- Strengthened “public
credit”
- Enhanced “national
purpose and unity”
These accomplishments are not just material gains—they are
expressions of national health and cohesion. McKinley, speaking in the
industrializing, expansionist spirit of the late 19th century, connects
economic success to divine favor.
3. War, Sacrifice, and Divine Providence
This proclamation was issued just months after the United
States’ victory in the Spanish-American War. McKinley acknowledges the “cloud of
war,” and the necessity of conflict “in the cause of humanity,” but he praises
its brevity and limited loss of life. He attributes the rapid end of
hostilities to the mercy of “the Lord of Hosts,” framing the victory as both
just and divinely sanctioned.
4. Theological Undertone and National Destiny
McKinley invokes “Divine guidance” as a force that has led
the nation “to safety and honor” and asks for its continuation. This echoes
earlier proclamations but with greater emphasis on America’s emerging global
role. The language suggests a belief in a providential national destiny—a
hallmark of late-19th-century American exceptionalism.
5. Unity and Inclusivity
In inviting “all my fellow-citizens” including those “at sea
or sojourning in foreign lands,” McKinley underscores the universality of the
occasion. The unity of worship and shared reflection across geographic
distances mirrors the broader unification of the country following the Civil
War and during overseas expansion.
Conclusion: President McKinley’s 1898 proclamation is
a historically rich document that merges gratitude with martial victory, and
faith with national ascendancy. It illustrates how Thanksgiving proclamations
have functioned as tools of presidential leadership—not only to mark the
calendar, but to interpret national experience in moral and theological terms.
- Transcription and Analysis
by ChatGPT – OpenAI
Thanksgiving Proclamation
President William McKinley
(1899)
TRANSCRIPTION
[THANKSGIVING—1899.]
By the President of the United States
A Proclamation:
A NATIONAL custom dear to the hearts of the people calls for
the setting apart of one day in each year as an occasion of special
thanksgiving to Almighty God for the blessings of the preceding year. This
honored observance acquires with time a tenderer significance. It enriches
domestic life. It summons under the family roof the absent children to glad
reunion with those they love.
Seldom has this Nation had greater cause for profound
thanksgiving. No great pestilence has invaded our shores. Liberal employment
waits upon labor. Abundant crops have rewarded the efforts of the husbandmen.
Increased comforts have come to the home. The national finances have been
strengthened, and public credit has been sustained and made firmer. In all
branches of industry and trade there has been an unequaled degree of
prosperity, while there has been a steady gain in the moral and educational
growth of our national character. Churches and schools have flourished.
American patriotism has been exalted. Those engaged in maintaining the honor of
the flag with such signal success have been in a large degree spared from
disaster and disease. An honorable peace has been ratified with a foreign
nation with which we were at war, and we are now on friendly relations with
every power of earth.
The trust which we have assumed for the benefit of the
people of Cuba has been faithfully advanced. There is marked progress toward
the restoration of healthy industrial conditions, and under wise sanitary
regulations the island has enjoyed unusual exemption from the scourge of fever.
The hurricane which swept over our new possession of Porto Rico, destroying the
homes and property of the inhabitants, called forth the instant sympathy of the
people of the United States, who were swift to respond with generous aid to the
sufferers. While the insurrection still continues in the island of Luzon,
business is resuming its activity, and confidence in the good purposes of the
United States is being rapidly established throughout the archipelago.
For these reasons and countless others, I, WILLIAM
McKINLEY, President of the United States, do hereby name Thursday, the
thirtieth day of November next, as a day of general thanksgiving and
prayer, to be observed as such by all our people on this continent and in our
newly acquired islands, as well as those who may be at sea or sojourning in
foreign lands; and I advise that on this day religious exercises shall be
conducted in the churches or meeting-places of all denominations, in order that
in the social features of the day its real significance may not be lost sight
of, but fervent prayers may be offered to the Most High for a continuance of
the Divine Guidance without which man’s efforts are vain, and for Divine
consolation to those whose kindred and friends have sacrificed their lives for
country.
I recommend also that on this day so far as may be found
practicable labor shall cease from its accustomed toil and charity abound
toward the sick, the needy and the poor.
In witness whereof I have set my hand and caused the
Seal of the United States to be affixed.
Done at the City of Washington this 25th day of October, in
the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and ninety-nine, and of the
independence of the United States the one hundred and twenty-fourth.
WILLIAM McKINLEY
By the President:
JOHN HAY
Secretary of State.
ANALYSIS
President William McKinley’s 1899 Thanksgiving Proclamation
continues the tradition of using the holiday as a unifying civic and spiritual
occasion, but it also reflects the expanding geopolitical role of the United
States in the aftermath of the Spanish-American War. The proclamation
underscores not only domestic prosperity but also America's new imperial
responsibilities and moral self-conception on the global stage.
1. Tradition and Domesticity
McKinley begins with a heartfelt reference to the “tenderer
significance” of Thanksgiving as a time of domestic reunion, emphasizing the
family and home. This pastoral tone helps root the proclamation in longstanding
American values of kinship and continuity.
2. National Prosperity and Social Progress
The document praises economic stability and growth, labor
opportunities, agricultural success, and strengthened public credit. Moreover,
it speaks to a “steady gain in the moral and educational growth” of the
nation—a clear nod to American civil society. Churches and schools are
presented as thriving institutions that reflect and reinforce national
character.
3. War, Peace, and Diplomacy
McKinley notes that the nation has emerged from war into
“friendly relations with every power of earth.” He makes particular mention of
the Spanish-American War's resolution, noting the peace treaty and the
successful military record—“spared from disaster and disease”—of those who
served.
4. Colonial Responsibilities
This proclamation offers a detailed and notable
justification of American activity in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines.
He speaks of America’s “trust” over Cuba, its assistance in Puerto Rico
following a hurricane, and the efforts to stabilize Luzon in the Philippines
despite ongoing conflict. These statements reflect the U.S. imperial posture
after 1898 and reveal how Thanksgiving was used as a moment to sanctify this
new global responsibility.
5. Inclusivity and Public Morality
By including “our people on this continent and in our newly
acquired islands,” McKinley seeks to unite the nation and its new territories
under a common religious and civic observance. He calls for prayers for divine
guidance, for those mourning war losses, and for charity toward the “sick, the
needy and the poor.”
Conclusion
The 1899 Thanksgiving Proclamation by William McKinley is as
much a geopolitical statement as it is a spiritual invitation. It reinforces
the values of faith, gratitude, and family while embracing America’s new role
as a global power with moral and colonial obligations. McKinley presents these
developments not as contradictions but as complementary expressions of national
blessing and divine favor.
Transcription and Analysis by ChatGPT – OpenAI
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