President Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation: Union and Fraternal Peace

By Bryan Caskey

In 1863, just a few weeks after the bloody Battle of Gettysburg, President Lincoln issued what some view as the beginning of a national day of Thanksgiving. At the time, hundreds of thousands had died in the bitter Civil War, and the nation was as divided as it has ever been. At the time, Lincoln requested the “…Holy Spirit to subdue the anger what has produced and so long sustained a needless and cruel rebellion, to change the hearts of the insurgents, to guide the counsels of the Government with wisdom….”

This idea rings true especially in today’s time as we feel can feel divided and frustrated. Reading back through President Lincoln’s proclamation, perhaps we work anew each day to find that sense of “union and fraternal peace”.

15 thoughts on “President Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation: Union and Fraternal Peace

    1. Bart

      What turned you into a total cynic Barry? I will make the first move. If Brad will schedule another blog meeting at the restaurant where the last one was held, I will be there and offer a hand of friendship to you without hesitation or conditions. The same goes out to Ken and any other regular.

      I know from reading your comments you have purged your list of what I am presuming were friends and others who do not meet your evolved views, etc. Are you willing to take the opportunity to meet with Doug, myself and others who might not share your views and take the time to get to know each other as humans and understand there will always be differences but can still be civil and thankful for what we have been blessed with?

      The ball is in your court, what is your choice, accept or decline, the answer will tell all.

        1. Doug Ross

          Bart… Trolls prefer to stay under the bridge. It’s interesting that those who have commented anonymously on this blog for years are the ones who also avoided any opportunity to meet in person every time.

          1. Bart

            Yeah, I know Doug. You, Phillip, Bryan, Bud, Kathrine, and most others have provided a profile and who they are by actual name, occupation, etc. But blog blowhards hide behind a keyboard using it to avoid any responsibility for their inimical barbs and trivial diatribes. They can’t wait to be like the student in elementary school who runs breathlessly to tell the teacher or whoever will listen about how someone else misbehaved. And they are usually inexorable once they become radicalized and the more radical they become, the more they seek to be anonymous. Much like the cowards who hide behind black masks and dress-up like ninjas or wear white robes and hoods to hide their identity.

            Just like the breathtaking post about the three people who acted like idiots over minor perceived offenses was something that just had to be reported. Hate to inform the copy boy but I had already read about each incident and just SMH. All he did was regurgitate what was already out there as if he had found a gold nugget or the Golden Coupon from Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory.

            Well, enough about the troll, have too many other things to do with my time. Since he prefers to remain anonymous, prefer to set my own standard and ignore his trivial cut and paste comments.

            Hope you and your family had a Happy Thanksgiving, me and my family certainly did.

        2. Bart

          Thank you for being honest in your reply. Now that you have made it clear you are not interested in even trying to accept a hand offered in an honest gesture to help close the divide, know this. It is you, repeat you and all others like you on both sides, who has made it impossible for any progress closing the division that separates this nation.

          The one who continues to keep open and widen the chasm of dissent by fomenting a constant barrage of negativity toward anyone or anything that does not meet your self-imposed standards. The one who has purposefully deleted former friends and possibly family members because they don’t meet your social, religious, and political ideological obsessions.

          Last but not least, you are the biggest hypocrite to ever post on this blog. Your reply only confirms it. And I do get your little attempt at a barb by the first line in the comment about Charles Doty. You are correct, “Nothing to see here either”, especially when one is so blind they cannot see.

          1. Bobby Amundson

            This is not about right and wrong; this about opinion. IMHO, I agree with most every word Bart writes; style a bit different, but the message is the same.

            I agree with President Obama (ok, and I never voted for him – still hate ACA!) stating that cynics are cowards. So much self interest in Rand type whatevers – I believe her message is wrong.

            Enlightened self interest; servant leadership. Social entrepreneurship. The mobile economy.

            LIsten to WPIG at 2pm today. My classmate and friend Gary Nease (THE Voice of the Bonnies) will call the Saint Bonaventure v. Northern Iowa game. My park/resort is one of two primary sponsors; I am proud of my “Misty
            Mountains Park” jingle. Someday – ZepIV, Misty Mountains Hop, Over the Hills were the Spirits Fly! I have season tickets, “Bonas” is ranked 16th.

            From Alive by Big Big Train: “I’m a traveling man, each day I walk the by ways of this life. Till the end of my days, when I am dead in the grave, I WILL know what it is, TO BE ALIVE.”

            Snowing – we don’t care here in the northernmost Appalachians – the “foothills” of (from Wikipedia) “The Allegheny Mountain Range (also spelled Alleghany or Allegany), informally the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the Eastern United States and Canada and posed a significant barrier to land travel in less developed eras.”

            Oil and energy are big here. History; I just bought a house built in 1860. The wood in the house was “born” late 1600s early 1700s. Then something called the Civil War happened; that War was tough on all hill folk. Let’s finally get over it and stop feuding, DAMMIT!

            What happened after that is a long story for another day …

              1. Bart

                I have always admired the Amish craftsmen and how they pay attention to the detail of the structural integrity of anything they build. I like the way they use old tools of the trade and when a structure is finished, it is intended to last for generation after generation, ad infinitum. One builder I knew years ago used an Amish family to build custom homes and they are still around, looking as good as they did when finished.

                Really enjoy the shows about building in Alaska and the conditions they encounter during construction. Some of the other shows I like involve using old barn siding and other material recycled into really beautiful designs and features.

                I guess my fascination with building and design started when I was still in high school and went to work for a local architect. A female architect, one of the first in the Southeast. She taught me more in 2 years than I could have ever learned in a classroom. Before I moved to South Carolina, she would give me a sketch of what the owner wanted, left me to complete the design work and all of the working drawings.

                Would you mind posting some photos of the restoration? Would really like to see what you accomplished.

  1. Barry

    Nothing to see here either

    63 year old Charles Doty of Knoxville, Tennessee did what any red blooded American Christian would do when he had to wait 10 minutes for his pizza to bake, he went to his car and retrieved his AK-47 and held the pizza shop staff at gunpoint.

    https://www.newsweek.com/charles-doty-jr-pizzeria-gun-ak-47-little-caesars-crime-1653550

    But Dory isn’t alone, In June, a Starbucks customer in Miami Gardens, Florida threatened a barista with a gun over an argument about cream cheese.

    That same month, Iowa man Robert Golwitzer Jr allegedly threatened to blow up a McDonald’s and attack one its staff members because he did not get dipping sauce to go with his chicken nuggets.

    1. Bill

      Sweet and Sour, Honey Mustard, Chipotle BBQ, Tangy BBQ, Spicy Buffalo, Sweet Chili, Hot Mustard or Creamy Ranch?

        1. Bobby Amundson

          Honey mustard is closest to mustard Q; so Honey Mustard here. In the Buffalo area, so spicy Buffalo second. Second because they are Buffalo Wings for a reason; I could drive an hour and go to the Bar that started “Wings.” After all, Buffalos generally do not have wings. Just saying; am I right?

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