When you think of Thanksgiving, do you think immediately of Freemasonry? Maybe not? Well, it turns out you should! Because two Freemasons—including U.S. President and Freemason George Washington—had a huge impact on the American version of the Thanksgiving holiday we celebrate today. In fact, President Washington and one of his Brothers in Freemasonry, Brother Elias Boudinot, worked together to create the holiday as a very special way to give thanks and express gratitude to our families, friends, and communities.
Freemasonry Spurs a “Day of Thanks”
You may be thinking, “What about the Pilgrims and Native Americans? Didn’t the holiday start with them?” Yes, in a more informal way, it did. In 1621, settlers from The Mayflower, along with members of the Wampanoag tribe in Plymouth, Massachusetts, held a celebration to thank the Creator for the harvest and for the many blessings of life. Thereafter, for the next 160-plus years, the holiday was celebrated as an informal tradition among many Americans, but not as a formal national holiday.
That changed dramatically on September 25, 1789, when Freemason and Congressman Elias Boudinot of Burlington, New Jersey stood up in the U.S. House of Representatives with a legislative proposal. Brother Boudinot requested that the federal government create a committee to persuade President /Freemason George Washington to declare a national day of thanks and prayer. Historians say that, without Brother Boudinot’s powerful connection to Freemasonry and its values, he likely would not have been inclined to rally for this national day of thanks.
The Freemason President Delivers
the Proclamation
Later that same year, President George Washington delivered the Proclamation of 1789 that formally assigned November 26 as the National Holiday of Thanksgiving. Importantly, the proclamation also served as a symbolic gesture to our former monarchical rulers in Great Britain that the colonies were a self-governing, legitimate state. In his remarks regarding the holiday, President Washington stated: “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 favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”
Masonic Values That Spurred a Holiday
When we look back on that important historical moment, we see clearly that our national American Thanksgiving holiday would not have been established without the values of Freemasonry and the critical work of two Masonic Brothers, Elias Boudinot and George Washington. This should further encourage us, as Freemasons, to reflect on and express gratitude for our fellow Brothers and for all the others in our lives who enrich us each day with such profound blessings.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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