Making Our World a Better Place by Lois Bolin, Ph.D., Old Naples Historian

November is the time to Give Thanks! Well, every day is a day to give thanks, but when we enter the month of November, we step into a magical time of year when we choose to think of others and the ways we can make the world a better place. Two special days in November which trigger this lovely sentiment are Thanksgiving and Veterans Day and woven into these special days is our connection to God.

November Connections
Throughout American history, the idea of God’s connection to man is prevalent and relevant because without those shared values, the idea of a United States and its principles could not have been birthed. The Mayflower Compact and the Declaration of Independence were established and held together by a belief in God.

The Mayflower Compact served as the foundation for the Declaration of Independence, where five references to God can be found, two in the first paragraph, one in the middle, and two in the last: …the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle… Who is responsible for “the laws of nature” but God… endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights… our cause was left to God as judge… with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred honor.

The Declaration was followed by our Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, which are the three most important documents in American history because they express the ideals that define “We the People of the United States” and inspire free people around the world. Every American service member and law enforcement officer takes an oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States.” The oath is not to the country, the government, or the flag. It is to the Constitution.

Thanksgiving
The genesis of Thanksgiving began when the Pilgrims, financed by the Company of Merchant Adventurers of London, sailed to America in 1620. The Pilgrims understood that earlier settlements failed because no governing body or principles had been established, thus the Mayflower Compact was drafted –a covenant between God, man, and each other – the cornerstone for later generation’s ‘sacred honor.’ America’s Founders placed their honor and duty ahead of their private rights and personal survival. Their conviction is shown in the “Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Their Taking up Arms,” which was approved by the Continental Congress in 1775.

Veterans
Over a quarter of a million American men served in the armed forces that won our independence. While the American republic owed its existence to them, the public found it difficult to acknowledge that debt, where common soldiers were held in low regard because they had served for pay, while officers were seen to be motivated by enlightened patriotism. In 1783, at the end of the Revolutionary War, the Continental Army discharged its soldiers and disbanded. Those who survived became the first veterans of the United States of America—the world’s first veterans of an army of free men. Since the Revolutionary War, approximately 41,892,128 fought for this American Republic with approximately 1,243,189 military fatalities.

Giving
George Washington issued the first Thanksgiving proclamation by the United States government in 1789. In 1846, Sarah Josepha Hale, the editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book, published the first of many editorials encouraging the celebration of the “Great American Festival.” She hoped it would be a unifying holiday to avert a civil war. Seventeen years after those editorials in the middle of the Civil War, Lincoln finally issued a Thanksgiving national proclamation on October 3, 1863, asking his fellow citizens to “set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a Day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.”

Patriots Honored
Collier County will host two Veterans Day programs:
Monday, November 11, 2024
1-Collier County Veterans Council, Cambier Park at 10:30 a.m.
2-Marco Island’s Veterans, Community Park at 10:30 a.m.

A very special thanks to the CCSB member, Tim Moshier, for supporting the Women’s Republican Club of Naples Federated with their Patriot Readers program where special members visit local schools (K-3) to read to the students about America. This Thanksgiving we can make the world a better place by affirming our faith and gratitude for the privilege of living in this Constitutional Republic for which so many fought and died so that we may live in freedom.