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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Americans across the land are gathering on |
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Thanksgiving, November 23, 2023, to reflect on the many blessings |
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the year has brought; and |
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WHEREAS, The history of this cherished celebration spans four |
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centuries, tracing its roots back to 1621; met by a harsh New |
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England winter that year, the struggling European settlers at |
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Plymouth Rock received welcome assistance from the Wampanoag |
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people, who taught them vital farming and survival techniques; in a |
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display of gratitude toward God for answering their prayers for |
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help, the Pilgrims held a three-day feast, and together with their |
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Wampanoag neighbors, they enjoyed the fruits of a bountiful |
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harvest; and |
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WHEREAS, The Thanksgiving holiday was first officially |
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observed more than 150 years later, soon after the founding fathers |
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established this great nation; in George Washington's first |
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presidential proclamation in 1789, he enacted a day of thanksgiving |
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and prayer to acknowledge the "many signal favors of Almighty God" |
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that had been bestowed on the American people; and |
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WHEREAS, Decades later, in the tumultuous days of the Civil |
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War, President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Thanksgiving Day |
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proclamation that would set the standard for every president that |
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followed; in his now famous speech, he urged Americans to call on |
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"the Almighty hand" to heal the Union and implored the people to |
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remember the source from which "the blessings of fruitful fields |
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and healthful skies" come; and |
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WHEREAS, Today, the Thanksgiving holiday, observed each year |
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on the fourth Thursday in November, is one of our most dearly held |
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traditions, offering an opportunity to join with family and friends |
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in expressing appreciation for the many gifts of the past year; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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Legislature hereby commemorate Thanksgiving 2023. |