The Act of Uniformity in 1662 insisted that all public prayers be restricted to what was documented in the Common Book of Prayer. In other words, rather than praying in a way that reflected your personal regard and need for God, you were now simply reciting a scripted statement crafted according to a pattern sanctioned by the state.1
Sacraments were more than just ceremonies, the way we might take communion. The exercise itself was considered to be capable of “saving” those who participated.2
In addition, it mandated that all those who served in church leadership positions be ordained according to an Episcopal format rather than the qualifications documented in the Bible that emphasized a commitment to Christ more so than a commitment to the monarchy.3
This resulted in something called the “Great Ejection” where over 2,000 ministers were expelled from the Church of England because they refused to commit to what they perceived to be a state sanctioned corruption of Scripture.
Back then, the church was the government and the government was the church. You didn’t dispute matters of doctrine without simultaneously questioning the authority of the king. “Religious Persecution” was much more than just a heated debate. It often translated to imprisonment, torture, and even death.4
It was during this time that you had a number of people who believed the Church of England needed to be “purified” and they became known as the “Puritans.”
Varying levels of “purity” were insisted upon. Those that were determined to separate completely from the Church of England relocated to Holland and from there sailed to what we know today as Massachusetts.
Without an understanding of what “religious persecution” really entailed and an appreciation for the sacrifices and the hardships the Pilgrims endured, it’s easy to gloss over the significance of Thanksgiving.
The Pilgrims left Holland in September of 1620 with 102 passengers. They arrived in Plymouth Harbor in December of that same year. During the first two months, while houses were being built, as many as two to three people died every day. Only 52 people survived the first year in Plymouth.5
It was in the Fall of 1621 that the Pilgrims celebrated their first harvest. That was the celebration that would later be the basis for the holiday we celebrate as Thanksgiving. They had forfeited all that was familiar and reliable and exchanged it for an environment that was oftentimes lethal. But with the help of the God they were determined to serve and worship according to the Word of God and not an act of Parliament, they had endured and they were able to establish a pattern and a premise that would go on to result in the Declaration of Independence and the United States of America.
In 1789, Congress recommended to President Washington to establish a national day of public thanksgiving and prayer. This wasn’t new territory. Congress had recommended a National Day of Prayer and Fasting on sixteen different occasions during the war for Independence. But this was different in that it was not so much an appeal for help as much as it was a word of thanks.
By this point, the Revolutionary War had been won and the Constitution had been ratified (June 21, 1788). There was a lot to be thankful for and it wasn’t just a generic feeling of gratitude for a collection of favorable circumstances. It was an intentional acknowledgement of the One Who protects and provides a resolution to tyranny and persecution and, ultimately the problem of our national and individual sins.
This is our heritage and this is the context of Thanksgiving. Let us be truly thankful…
By the President of the United States of America. a Proclamation.
Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor—and whereas 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 signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”
Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be—That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks—for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation—for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war—for the great degree of tranquillity, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed—for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted—for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us and also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions—to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually—to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed—to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord—To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us—and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.
Given under my hand at the City of New-York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.
George Washington6
- “Does God Hear Scripted Prayers”, Greg Salazar, “Desiring God”, https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/does-god-hear-scripted-prayers, accessed November 17, 2024
- “What’s the Difference Between Ordinances and Sacraments”, GotQuestions.org, https://www.gotquestions.org/ordinances-sacraments.html, accessed November 17, 2024
- “Christian liberty: the Puritans in Britain and America”, “Christian History Institute”, https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/christian-liberty-puritans-in-britain-and-america, accessed November 17, 2024
- “Marian Persecutions”, https://samplecontents.library.ph/wikipedia/wp/m/Marian_persecutions.htm, accessed November 17, 2024
- “Who Were the Pilgrims”, “Plimoth / Patuxet Museums”, https://plimoth.org/for-students/homework-help/who-were-the-pilgrims”, accessed November 17, 2024
- “Thanksgiving Proclamation, 3 October 1789”, “Founders Online”, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/05-04-02-0091, accessed November 17, 2024
