Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 113 Part 3.djvu/511

 PROCLAMATION 7148—NOV. 17, 1998 113 STAT. 2029 ty-eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-third. WILLIAM J. CLINTON Proclamation 7148 of November 17, 1998 Thanksgiving Day, 1998 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Thanksgiving Day is one of America's most beloved and widely celebrated holidays. Whether descendants of the original colonists or new citizens, Americans join with family and Mends to give thanks to a provident God for the blessings of freedom, pesice, and plenty. We are a Nation of people who have come from many countries, cultures, and creeds. The colonial Thanksgiving at Plymouth in 1621, when the Pilgrims of the Old World mingled in fellowship and celebration with the American Indians of the New World, foreshadowed the challenge and opportunity that such diversity Itias always offered us: to live together in peace with respect and appreciation for our differences and to draw on one another's strengths in the work of building a great and unified Nation. And so at Thanksgiving we must also remember to be thankful for the many contributions each generation of Americsms has made to preserve our blessings. We are thsuikful for the brave patriots who have fought and died to defend our freedom and uphold our belief in human dignity. We are thankful for the men and women who have worked this land throughout the decades, from the stony farms of New England to the broad wheat fields of the Great Plains to the fertile vineyards of California, sharing our country's bounty with their fellow Americans and people around the world. We are thankful for the leaders and visionaries who have challenged us through the years to fulfill America's promise for all our people, to make real in our society our fundamental ideals of freedom, equality, and justice. We are thankful for the countless quiet heroes and heroines who work haird each day, raise their families with love and care, and still find time and energy to make their communities better places in which to live. Each of us has reason to be proud of our part in building America, and each of us has reason to be grateful to our fellow Americans for thei success of these efforts. NOW, THEREFORE. I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority \^ested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Thvirsday, November 26, 1998, as a National Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage all the people of the United States to assemble in Aeir homes, places of worship, or community centers to share the spirit of goodwill and prayer; to express heartfelt thanks to God for the many blessings He has bestowed upon us; and to reach out in true gratitude and friendship to our brothers and sisters across this land who, together, comprise our great American family. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this seventeenth day of November, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and nine-

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