In the midst of the tragic Civil War that caused so much death and destruction in America, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed two special days: the last Thursday of April 1863 as a <a href="https://www.crossroadsinitiative.com/media/articles/proclamation-of-national-day-of-prayer-and-fasting/">National Day of Prayer and Fasting</a>, and the last Thursday of November as a national Day of Thanksgiving to God. Here is the text of his Thanksgiving Day Proclamation, which established an annual holiday not of "Turkey Day," but of Thanksgiving to God.
