Give thanks for freedom

Today is Thanksgiving and we should all take this day as an opportunity to reflect on and give thanks for all the blessings we enjoy as citizens of the United States of America.

Often overlooked in the rush from Halloween to Christmas, Thanksgiving, along with the Fourth of July, is the most exclusively American holiday of the holidays celebrated by the American people. Like the Fourth of July, its origin is part of the origin of America itself. In fact, Thanksgiving predates the Fourth of July by more than a century, having its beginnings in one of the first permanent settlements established by our English forbears.

It’s precisely because of its roots in the beginning of this nation that Thanksgiving should have a very special place in the hearts of the American people who should pause between putting away the Halloween decorations and getting out the Christmas tree to truly appreciate and celebrate this most American of holidays.

As Americans we should give thanks on Thanksgiving Day for being Americans and for the freedoms we enjoy as citizens of this country.

Those freedoms, stated in the Bill of Rights, include the freedom of religion; freedom of speech; freedom of the press; the right to peaceably assemble; the right to petition the government for redress of grievances; the right to keep and bear arms; the right to be secure in our persons, houses, papers and effects from unreasonable searches and seizures; freedom; and the right to public trial by jury.

It is these freedoms that define America, that make it the freest country on earth. It is because of those freedoms that America is not only the freest but also the most successful country the world has ever known. It is those freedoms that we, the American people, should give thanks for on Thanksgiving Day and every day that we draw breath as free men and women.