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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Americans across the land are gathering on |
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| 6 | 7 | | Thanksgiving, November 23, 2017, to reflect on the many blessings |
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| 7 | 8 | | the year has brought; and |
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| 8 | 9 | | WHEREAS, The history of this cherished celebration spans |
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| 9 | 10 | | nearly four centuries, tracing its roots back to 1620; met by a |
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| 10 | 11 | | harsh New England winter that year, the struggling European |
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| 11 | 12 | | settlers at Plymouth Rock received welcome assistance from the |
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| 12 | 13 | | indigenous people, who taught them vital farming and survival |
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| 13 | 14 | | techniques; in a display of gratitude toward God for answering |
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| 14 | 15 | | their prayers for help, the Pilgrims held a three-day feast, and |
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| 15 | 16 | | together with their Native American neighbors, they enjoyed the |
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| 16 | 17 | | fruits of a bountiful harvest; and |
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| 17 | 18 | | WHEREAS, The Thanksgiving holiday was first officially |
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| 18 | 19 | | observed more than 150 years later, soon after the founding fathers |
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| 19 | 20 | | established this great nation; in George Washington's first |
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| 20 | 21 | | presidential proclamation in 1789, he enacted a day of thanksgiving |
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| 21 | 22 | | and prayer to acknowledge the "many signal favors of Almighty God" |
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| 22 | 23 | | that had been bestowed on the American people; and |
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| 23 | 24 | | WHEREAS, Decades later, in the tumultuous days of the Civil |
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| 24 | 25 | | War, President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Thanksgiving Day |
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| 25 | 26 | | proclamation that would set the standard for every president that |
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| 26 | 27 | | followed; in his now famous speech, he urged Americans to call on |
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| 27 | 28 | | "the Almighty hand" to heal the union and implored the people to |
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| 28 | 29 | | remember the source from which "the blessings of fruitful fields |
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| 29 | 30 | | and healthful skies" come; and |
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| 30 | 31 | | WHEREAS, Today, the Thanksgiving holiday, observed each year |
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| 31 | 32 | | on the fourth Thursday in November, is one of our most dearly held |
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| 32 | 33 | | traditions, offering an opportunity to join with family and friends |
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| 33 | 34 | | in expressing appreciation for the many gifts of the past year; now, |
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| 34 | 35 | | therefore, be it |
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| 35 | 36 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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| 36 | 37 | | Legislature hereby commemorate Thanksgiving 2017. |
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