Presidential Documents

71621 

Federal Register 

Vol. 79, No. 232 

Wednesday, December 3, 2014 

Title 3— 

The President 

Proclamation 9214 of November 26, 2014 

Thanksgiving Day, 2014 

By the President of the United States of America 

A Proclamation 

Thanksgiving Day invites us to reflect on the blessings we enjoy and the 

freedoms we cherish. As we gather with family and friends to take part 

in this uniquely American celebration, we give thanks for the extraordinary 

opportunities we have in a Nation of limitless possibilities, and we pay 

tribute to all those who defend our Union as members of our Armed Forces. 

This holiday reminds us to show compassion and concern for people we 

have never met and deep gratitude toward those who have sacrificed to 

help build the most prosperous Nation on earth. These traditions honor 

the rich history of our country and hold us together as one American 

family, no matter who we are or where we come from. 

Nearly 400 years ago, a group of Pilgrims left their homeland and sailed 

across an ocean in pursuit of liberty and prosperity. With the friendship 

and kindness of the Wampanoag people, they learned to harvest the rich 

bounty of a new world. Together, they shared a successful crop, celebrating 

bonds of community during a time of great hardship. Through times of 

war and of peace, the example of a Native tribe who extended a hand 

to a new people has endured. During the American Revolution and the 

Civil War, days of thanksgiving drew Americans together in prayer and 

in the spirit that guides us to better days, and in each year since, our 

Nation has paused to show our gratitude for our families, communities, 

and country. 

With God’s grace, this holiday season we carry forward the legacy of our 

forebears. In the company of our loved ones, we give thanks for the people 

we care about and the joy we share, and we remember those who are 

less fortunate. At shelters and soup kitchens, Americans give meaning to 

the simple truth that binds us together: we are our brother’s and our sister’s 

keepers. We remember how a determined people set out for a better world— 

how through faith and the charity of others, they forged a new life built 

on freedom and opportunity. 

The spirit of Thanksgiving is universal. It is found in small moments between 

strangers, reunions shared with friends and loved ones, and in quiet prayers 

for others. Within the heart of America’s promise burns the inextinguishable 

belief that together we can advance our common prosperity—that we can 

build a more hopeful, more just, and more unified Nation. This Thanksgiving, 

let us recall the values that unite our diverse country, and let us resolve 

to strengthen these lasting ties. 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States 

of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution 

and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 

27, 2014, as a National Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage the people of 

the United States to join together—whether in our homes, places of worship, 

community centers, or any place of fellowship for friends and neighbors— 

and give thanks for all we have received in the past year, express appreciation 

to those whose lives enrich our own, and share our bounty with others. 


emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with NOTICES6
71622 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 232 / Wednesday, December 3, 2014 / Presidential Documents 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-sixth 

day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand fourteen, and 

of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred 

and thirty-ninth. 

[FR Doc. 2014–28494 

Filed 12–2–14; 8:45 am] 

Billing code 3295–F5 


emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with NOTICES6OB#1.EPS</GPH>