President Joe Biden's latest Thanksgiving proclamation marks a notable departure from a longstanding presidential custom dating back to Abraham Lincoln's era.
According to Breitbart News, the President's 2024 Thanksgiving proclamation omitted any reference to Almighty God or Divine Providence, breaking with a tradition that has been maintained by most modern presidents.
The absence of religious references stands in stark contrast to historical presidential proclamations, particularly Lincoln's 1863 declaration that established Thanksgiving as a national holiday. This omission has drawn attention to the changing nature of presidential holiday proclamations and their religious content.
Lincoln's original 1863 proclamation set a precedent for presidential acknowledgments of divine providence during Thanksgiving. His words emphasized the spiritual foundation of the holiday, encouraging Americans to express gratitude to a higher power. The proclamation came during the Civil War, making its religious tone even more significant.
President Rutherford B. Hayes continued this tradition, specifically recommending that Americans gather in their places of worship to give thanks. His proclamation emphasized the importance of expressing gratitude to Almighty God and seeking continued blessings.
These historical proclamations established a pattern that most modern presidents have followed. Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump all maintained the tradition of acknowledging divine providence in their annual Thanksgiving messages.
Biden's 2024 proclamation focuses on expressing gratitude to various groups of Americans, including service members, veterans, first responders, and public servants. The message maintains a secular tone while highlighting the contributions of different segments of American society.
This approach mirrors that of former President Barack Obama, who in 2016 similarly excluded religious references from his Thanksgiving proclamation. The parallel between these Democratic presidents' approaches suggests a possible shift in how some modern leaders frame this traditional holiday.
Lincoln's warning about forgetting the source of America's blessings seems particularly relevant in light of these recent changes. His original proclamation specifically cautioned against taking these blessings for granted and forgetting their divine origin.
The contrast between historical and contemporary approaches to Thanksgiving proclamations reflects broader changes in presidential communication. Biden's focus on acknowledging human contributions rather than divine providence represents a significant departure from traditional presidential rhetoric.
Here's what Lincoln declared in his original proclamation, setting a tone that would influence generations of presidential messages:
No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.
The evolution of presidential Thanksgiving messages raises questions about the balance between maintaining historical traditions and adapting to contemporary social contexts. This shift in emphasis from religious to secular acknowledgments reflects broader changes in how national leaders address spiritual themes in public pronouncements.
President Joe Biden's 2024 Thanksgiving proclamation has attracted attention for its departure from historical precedent regarding religious references. The proclamation, released on Thursday, focused on acknowledging various groups of Americans while omitting traditional references to Almighty God or Divine Providence. This change represents a significant shift from the religious tone established by Abraham Lincoln in 1863 and maintained by most subsequent presidents. The decision aligns Biden with former President Barack Obama's approach, marking a potential evolution in how modern Democratic presidents frame this historically spiritual holiday.
