The exact words
“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...”George Washington, Thanksgiving Proclamation, New York, October 3, 1789 (Founders Online, National Archives)
✓ VerifiedFound in a primary source: the original book, speech transcript, letter or recording.
What people get wrong
Common reading
Washington created the annual Thanksgiving holiday.
Washington created the annual Thanksgiving holiday.
Closer to the original
Washington proclaimed one day of thanksgiving in 1789 and another in 1795. The yearly national holiday dates from Lincoln in 1863.
Washington proclaimed one day of thanksgiving in 1789 and another in 1795. The yearly national holiday dates from Lincoln in 1863.
Timeline
- September 1789Both houses of the new Congress ask the President to recommend a day of public thanksgiving and prayer.
- October 3, 1789Washington issues the proclamation from New York, then the capital, naming Thursday, November 26, 1789.
- 1863Lincoln's proclamation turns Thanksgiving into a yearly national holiday. Washington's was a single day.
Use it in a speech
In 1789 George Washington asked the new nation to be grateful for its blessings and for the chance to build its government in peace. That second one feels worth remembering this year too.
~11 secondsto say aloud
Pauseafter “in peace”
Best spotbefore the meal
Washington's first Thanksgiving Proclamation thanked God above all for the chance “peaceably to establish a form of government,” an unusual thing to be grateful for, and a revealing one.
~9 secondsto say aloud
Pausenone needed in writing
Best spotopening sentence
Questions people ask
When was the first presidential Thanksgiving proclamation?
George Washington issued it on October 3, 1789, setting Thursday, November 26, 1789, as a day of thanksgiving.
What did Washington ask people to give thanks for?
Among other things, for God's care during the Revolution and for the chance to establish a new government peacefully under the Constitution.
Did Washington make Thanksgiving an annual holiday?
No. It was a one-time proclamation. Thanksgiving became an annual national holiday in 1863.
Cite this quote
These cite the original source directly, so you can use them in an essay or paper. Always check your teacher's required style.
MLAWashington, George. “Thanksgiving Proclamation.” October 3, 1789. Founders Online, founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/05-04-02-0091.
APAWashington, G. (1789). Thanksgiving Proclamation [Speech]. Founders Online. https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/05-04-02-0091
CHICAGOGeorge Washington, “Thanksgiving Proclamation,” October 3, 1789.
IN TEXT (APA)(Washington, 1789)