Proclamations Library Page

Joseph Reed (1741-1785) was born in New Jersey; graduated from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton) in 1757; and practiced law in New Jersey and Philadelphia. He served in the American army as aide-de-camp and secretary to George Washington (1775) and as Adjutant General (1776-1777). Reed was a member of [...]

The following is the text of a Proclamation for a Day of Thanksgiving and Prayer issued by Thomas McKean, a Signer of the Declaration of Independence, while he was serving as President of Congress. This proclamation was issued on October 26, 1781 and the Day of Thanksgiving was to be December [...]

John Hancock (1737-1793) was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, the president of the Continental Congress, and governor of Massachusetts. It was during his time as governor that he issued the following November 8, 1781 proclamation declaring a day of Thanksgiving for December 7, 1781. (See other proclamations issued by [...]

Here is the text of a Proclamation for a Day of Thanksgiving issued by John Hanson, while serving as President of the Continental Congress, on October 11, 1782. The Day of Thanksgiving took place on November 28, 1782. This proclamation was published in The Independent Gazetteer; or, the Chronicle of Freedom [...]

John Dickinson (1732-1808) was a lawyer. He served in the Pennsylvania Assembly (1762, 1764), was a delegate to the Stamp Act Congress (1765); and was a member of the Continental Congress (1774-1776, 1779). He served as president of Pennsylvania (1782-1785) and was a signer of the Constitution (1787). Dickinson was also [...]

John Hancock (1737-1793) was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, the president of the Continental Congress, and governor of Massachusetts. It was during his time as governor that he issued the following October 28, 1784 proclamation declaring a day of Thanksgiving for November 25, 1784. The proclamation text and image [...]

  This is the text of the October 13, 1788 Samuel Huntington Day of Thanksgiving Proclamation, as he served as Governor of Connecticut; as printed in The New-aven Gazette, and the Connecticut Magazine on October 23, 1788.   By His Excellency Samuel Huntington, Esquire Governor and Commander in Chief, in and [...]

  This is the text of George Washington's October 3, 1789 national Thanksgiving Proclamation; as printed in The Providence Gazette and Country Journal, on October 17, 1789. (See another national Thanksgiving proclamation issued by George Washington in 1795. And see more Thanksgiving proclamations here.)   By the President of the United [...]

  This is the text of the November 21, 1791 William Paterson Thanksgiving Day proclamation, as he served as governor of New Jersey; as printed in the Gazette of the United States, November 26, 1791. By His Excellency William Paterson, Esquire, Governor, Captain-General, and Commander in Chief in and over the [...]

This proclamation was issued by Massachusetts Governor, John Hancock on October 25, 1792. It was proclaiming a day of Thanksgiving and Praise for November 29, 1792 as printed in the Columbian Centinel. Commonwealth of MASSACHUSETTS. By His Excellency John Hancock, Esq. GOVERNOR of the Commonwealth of MASSACHUSETTS. A PROCLAMATION for a [...]