Thanksgiving - The First Proclamation

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; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to "recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789.

 




Shortly after the Thanksgiving Proclamation was written, it was lost for 130 years. The original document was written in long hand by William Jackson, secretary to the President, and was then signed by George Washington.

 It was probably misplaced or mixed in with some private papers when the US capitol moved from New York to Washington, D.C. The original manuscript was not placed in the National Archives until 1921 when Dr. J. C. Fitzpatrick, assistant chief of the manuscripts division of the Library of Congress found the proclamation at an auction sale being held at an art gallery in New York. Dr Fitzpatrick purchased the document for $300.00 for the Library of Congress, in which it now resides. It was the first official presidential proclamation issued in the United States. 

Posted by Konstantin Gojnycz, Vice Chair
George Washington Birthday Celebration Committee

Alexandria Honors James Rees

The City of Alexandria is honoring James Rees for his years of service to Mount Vernon and for his support of the legacy of George Washington. The Historic Alexandria Resources Commission and the George Washington Birthday Celebration Committee have endorsed a formal proclamation (shown below). It is to be presented by the Alexandria City Council at its meeting on Tuesday, June 26, 2012 at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 301 King Street, Alexandria 22314.

Mr. Rees recently retired as President of the Mount Vernon Ladies Association after 29 years in that position. He is in rapidly failing health and will not be present to receive this much-deserved acclaim. However two representatives from the Mount Vernon Ladies Association will receive this proclamation for him: Susan Magill, Vice President of Advancement and Jamie Bosket, Vice President for Interpretation & Events.

Please put this on your calendars and try to be present. Mr. Rees was a great friend of Alexandria and his contributions to the commemoration of George Washington are truly significant. I know public support would mean a lot to him. This proclamation is early on the meeting docket; please plan to arrive a few minutes before 7 p.m. ...perhaps we can all stand and applaud when it is presented.

Here is the proclamation:

IN HONOR OF THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF JAMES C. REES, IV

WHEREAS, as of June 1, 2012, James C. Rees, IV has retired as president and chief executive officer of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, the group that owns and operates the home of George Washington, Mount Vernon; and

WHEREAS, James C. Rees, IV is an exemplary citizen who served as director of development and associate director at the Mount Vernon Estate from 1983 until his appointment as president in 1994; and

WHEREAS, because of his bold vision for the future of Mount Vernon, James C. Rees, IV has led the Estate through projects such as restoring and reconstructing George Washington’s Distillery and Gristmill, creating a four-acre farm exhibition area, continuing the preservation of Washington’s viewshed, developing the 66,700 square-foot Ford Orientation and Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center buildings in 2006, and overseeing countless other important restorations to the 500-acre Estate; and

WHEREAS, as president, James C. Rees IV has successfully overseen the raising of more than a quarter billion dollars for projects designed to heighten George Washington’s greatly deserved very prominent place in the national consciousness and increasing Mount Vernon’s endowment from $4 million to $125 million; and

WHEREAS, the importance of George Washington to the City of Alexandria, the State of Virginia and the United States of America is inestimable;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM D. EUILLE, Mayor of the City of Alexandria, Virginia, on behalf of the Alexandria City Council, do hereby congratulate and honor James C. Rees, IV for his successful 29-year tenure as president of the Mount Vernon Ladies Association and for his leadership in support of the legacy of George Washington.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the City of Alexandria to be affixed this 26^th day of June 2012.

WILLIAM D. EUILLE MAYOR

On behalf of the City Council

of Alexandria, Virginia

ATTEST:

Jacqueline M. Henderson, MMC City Clerk

Be a Sponsor of the George Washington Birthday Celebration

Now, more than ever, we need financial support for the Alexandria George Washington Birthday Celebration.  From the time of the Revolutionary War, the people of Alexandria have celebrated the birthday of George Washington.  Over more than two hundred years, our citizens have considered an annual remembrance of the Father of Our Country to be important and worthwhile.   These celebrations have always been arranged by both military and civilian volunteers from many quarters of our community, as the Celebration is today.

Since the time of the nation's bicentennial, the George Washington Birthday Celebration was fully-supported by the City of Alexandria; three years ago that changed.  The City Council decided to reduce the City support of the Celebration by 50% and now we must raise the other half of the funding from other sources.

We have a lot to offer our sponsors, not the least of which is association with the premier celebration of Washington's Birthday in the USA.  In local and regional media, attention to the Alexandria George Washington Birthday Celebration is legendary.  Exposure at events is not the only benefit, some promotional features will extend beyond the period of the Celebration.

Please review the sponsorship features and benefits here.  For more information about sponsorships, please contact Joe Shumard via joeshumard@gmail.com.

Letter to City Council

I am writing to you today to request your reconsideration of the policy adopted by City Council that requires reimbursement to the City of Alexandria for services provided for the George Washington Birthday Celebration.  Beginning several years ago, as part of the new special events policy, the City phased in this requirement and last year the George Washington Birthday Celebration Committee (a City commission) paid more than $21,000 to the City which was raised from private donations.

As a citizen and member of the George Washington Birthday Celebration Committee for many years this policy seems to ignore the importance of this annual celebration that has been carried on by the citizens of Alexandria since George Washington lived here.  Thousands of our citizens participate in Celebration events every year; whether through marching in parades, reenacting historic events, musical performances, or dancing at the birthnight ball, our citizens consider an annual remembrance of the Father of Our Country to be important and worthwhile.  The importance of Washington to Alexandria cannot be exaggerated; it is fair to say that Alexandria would not be what it is today without him.

This policy also ignores the contributions that this annual celebration makes to the economy of Alexandria.  This impact has never been quantified but I cannot be convinced that bringing thousands of people (in the dead of winter) into the heart of our largest commercial district does not benefit the business community in a substantial way.  While we are all aware of the costs of these events, some effort should be made to understand the financial benefits, both direct and indirect, that these events have.

Finally, this policy ignores the heavy burden placed on a City commission that was set up solely to organize the events.  Not only is the George Washington Birthday Celebration Committee now asked to organize the Celebration events, it is also asked to develop contributions from donors who might otherwise give to other worthwhile enterprises taking funds from the available pool of supporters.  The City commissions our committee of citizen volunteers to present these events for its residents.  Now this committee is also faced with raising the funds to cover the City’s expenses for the event the City asks us to create.

The George Washington Birthday Celebration is not a charity it is a community celebration.  It supports our regard for the importance of our history and further promotes the historic nature of our city (an element that is fostered in many ways around the nation and the whole world).  To me, this is Alexandria’s celebration of its hometown hero.

I would like to request that some moderation of this reimbursement policy be considered in order to reduce the amount of fundraising required.  Perhaps instead of 50% of the City costs, 25% of the City costs could be reimbursed.  This way the George Washington Birthday Celebration Committee could focus its efforts more on its primary mission:  making the celebration events even better and improving its promotional activities.

Please feel free to call on me and the other members of the George Washington Birthday Celebration to discuss this further.

Sincerely,

Joe Shumard

Welcome to Alexandria's George Washington Birthday Celebration!

This blog is primarily about Alexandria's celebration of the birth of George Washington, but it is also about history and the influence of Washington on our present-day community. We want your contributions: feedback, stories, and pictures. If you want to contribute, please give feedback to the blog posts; if you would like to contribute as a blogger, send me a message via gwparade@gmail.com.