Thanksgiving 2011

Dear Fellow American,

While today’s political correctness has attempted to confuse Americans about our heritage and the source of our “Thanksgiving,” a reading of true and unfiltered history demonstrates that our Founding Fathers and the Pilgrims who celebrated the first Thanksgiving had no doubt to Whom they were thankful.

The brave Pilgrims who endured a 66 day voyage across the Atlantic in 1620 suffered through a miserable first winter, losing many of their number. Yet their work ethic and resolve led to a new, free market system and a rejection of communal socialism. The Pilgrims consistently thanked Almighty God for His providential direction of their efforts and plans.

In the Mayflower Compact, the first social compact ever written by a free people, the primary reason for coming to the New World was, according to Pilgrim Governor William Bradford in Of Plimoth Plantation, “…having undertaken, for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith, and honor of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the Northern parts of Virginia…”

While most American families will follow the Pilgrims’ example of enjoying a huge feast on Thanksgiving, we too often ignore the reason that the Governor Bradford and the Pilgrims set aside a special day in the first place—to give thanks to God and demonstrate their total dependence on Him.

Our trust today should be on God as well. Given our nation’s current challenges, it is my prayer today that we as a country turn our eyes back to Almighty God and acknowledge Him as Lord once again.

Governor Bradford’s words capture it best. He and the other Pilgrims were aware of their place in history, and give us a lesson that all Americans should be reminded of–that ours is a special nation and the world looks to us as a beacon of freedom and liberty.

Governor Bradford said, “Thus out of small beginnings greater things have been produced by His hand that made all things of nothing, and gives being to all things that are; and, as one small candle may light thousands, so the light here kindled hath shone unto many, yea, in some sort to our whole nation; let the glorious name of Jehovah have all the praise.”

Thank you for all that you do for South Carolina and our nation. Dana, our children, and I will be praying for each of you and for our state and nation this Thanksgiving.

I am surely thankful for each one of you and for this great nation that we are privileged to live in. Enjoy your Thanksgiving meals with your families and renew yourselves for the freedom fight that we must engage in every day.

God bless you,

Chad Connelly
Chairman
South Carolina Republican Party