Thank You for Keeping the Tradition Alive
Transcript of video:
Happy November! It’s time to stop and remember how God has blessed us and our families and our nation–and to say Thank You. When we do, we join in a tradition that goes back for centuries in America.
Let me show you some snapshots from long ago Thanksgivings. They will remind us of our heritage of faith, a heritage we joyfully and wisely pass on to future generations.
On Thursday, November 28, 1861, newspaper artist Alfred Waud sketched this Thanksgiving scene of soldiers during the Civil War.
When Theodore Roosevelt was a boy, his parents subscribed to the Youth’s Companion magazine. He liked it so much that he saved issues and enjoyed them in adulthood, too. The Library of Congress has this undated Thanksgiving issue in its collection. Its cover illustration depicts a Pilgrim Thanksgiving scene.
These Harper’s Bazaar covers from the late 1800s include a Pilgrim woman . . .
. . . and a modern one.
Around 1900, these students at Whittier Primary School in Hampton, Virginia, learned about Thanksgiving using a model of a log cabin.
Nineteen years later, this child was excited about this Thanksgiving turkey.
In this photograph from 1925, President Calvin Coolidge (in the top hat) and his wife Grace leave a Thanksgiving Day worship service.
Many families celebrated Thanksgiving apart during World War II. In 1942 the Fincham family gathered for turkey, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie. During the war, families hung a star in a window for each son who was serving in the military. Mr. and Mrs. Fincham had six stars in their windows. One of their sons was serving overseas. Another was in training. At the table were two daughters-in-law and the Finchams’ four sons who were serving in the Coast Guard.
Later this month, as your family gathers for Thanksgiving, you are keeping one of America’s most valuable traditions alive. Thank you for doing that.
Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before Him with joyful singing.
Know that the Lord Himself is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving
And His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
For the Lord is good;
His lovingkindness is everlasting
And His faithfulness to all generations.
Psalm 100
All photos and illustrations are courtesy of Library of Congress.