Proclamation Establishing Thanksgiving Day, October 3, 1863

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies.  To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.  In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.  Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle, or the ship; the axe had enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore.  Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years, with large increase of freedom.

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things.  They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people.  I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, 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.   And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the city of Washington, this third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the independence of the United States the eighty-eighth.

~Abraham  Lincoln

October 3, 1863

CurriClick Live Class- - A Revolutionary Vacation Fall

by Learning for Life

For Ages: For Parents, 5-7, 8-10, 11-13

Schedule:

Starts	October 18, 2010
Meets	Monday
At	11:30 am Central Time (UTC-5)

Take a break from the books and learn the fun way! Find out where our country began by taking a virtual trip through the major cities and locations of the Revolution. Our vacation will begin near Boston, with the first battles at Lexington and Concord, then south to New York, Philadelphia where the Declaration of Independence was written and first read to Independence Hall where the Continental Congress signed it, After that we'll visit Valley Forge and continue south to Yorktown where the revolution ended. Students will get to learn hisory and stories of our country as we see the monuments and sites where they happened. The whole family can join for one price. This is NOT a regular history class in order, but a tour of historical places as you would really visit them.
[click here for more info] Retail Price: $35.00  Our Price: $25.00

CurrClick Live Class - - A Revolutionary Vacation

A Revolutionary Vacation

Ages 5 and up
Tuesdays, June 29th-Aug 3rd 12PM CDT 6 sessions.

Ready for summer? Take a break from the books and learn the fun way! Find out where our country began by taking a virtual trip through the major cities and locations of the Revolution. Our vacation will begin near Boston, with the first battles at Lexington and Concord, then south to New York, Philadelphia where the Declaration of Independence was written and first read to Independence Hall where the Continental Congress signed it, After that we'll visit Valley Forge and continue south to Charleston. Lastly, we'll visit Yorktown where the revolution ended. Students will get to learn history and stories of our country as we see the monuments and sites where they happened. Make history come to life and have a great vacation without standing in lines! The whole family can join for one price.

Donna Graham is a homeschooling mother of 2, with a Bachelor's Degree in History and Education. She has been working with children and adults in many teaching atmospheres for the past ten years and enjoys seeing students get involved and excited about their education. All classes/curriculum are compiled by Donna. If you would like to contact her, please email her at youhavecurrclass@gmail.com with any questions.
Click here for more information...
Our Price $30.00

America's Heritage: An Adventure in Liberty

I think I will start this review with the mission statement from American Heritage Education Foundation's home page, as well as, a quote from Thomas Jefferson.
"American Heritage Education Foundation is a non-profit, non-partisan educational foundation (501.c.3) dedicated to the understanding and teaching of America's factual and philosophical heritage to promote constructive citizenship and Freedom, Unity, Progress, and Responsibility among our students and citizens.

American Heritage Education Foundation accomplishes this patriotic mission by writing, producing, and distributing FREE K-12 lesson plans to teachers, students, and families in all 50 states and through additional initiatives, programs, and partnerships."

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." ~Thomas Jefferson

I mentioned before in another review that I like to both study and teach history; because of this I have have had the American Heritage website bookmarked in my favorites, but I hadn't really looked at it until I was asked to review America's Heritage: An Adventure in Liberty for the TOS Crew. I was supposed to receive a free CD from American Heritage Education Foundation containing this curriculum, but it may have gotten lost in the mail because it never arrived. Then I remembered that the curriculum was available through a free download available on their website. The downloads are available in three different levels Elementary, Middle School, and High School and they available in both the National and Texas editions. The Elementary level is also available in a Spanish edition.

"Our founding fathers also emphasized that a democratic republic cannot survive without a high degree of literacy and knowledge" ~Dr. Richard Gonzalez, co-founder American Heritage Educational Foundation

"Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives." ~James Madison

I think that it is very sad that as a whole we Americans have "lost" our history. It has been said that if we don't know our history, we are doomed to repeat it. It has also been said that history doesn't repeat itself, but it rhymes. Our schools are teaching part truths when it comes to American history, and children accept it for truth. We can't see that we are losing precious truth, with each generation. The American Heritage Education Foundation is stepping into the gap, and providing the missing pieces to our history with their America's Heritage: An Adventure in Liberty curriculum.

Let me tell you a little about it. Each level (Elementary, Middle School, and High School) has the same basic format and includes some of the same lesson's written with varying degrees of difficulty. Some of the Elementary lessons include: The Declaration of Independence, George Washington, Thanksgiving, the US Flag, and the Statue of Liberty. Middle School lessons include: Live, Fortunes, and Sacred Honor, The Bill of Rights, The Gettysburg Address, and The Pledge of Allegiance. High School lessons include: the Mayflower Compact, Federalist 47, The First Amendment, Our National Documents. Each lesson is built upon at least one of these themes: Freedom, Unity, Progress, and Responsibility. The Unit lesson plans contain: the purpose, objective, theme, core knowledge (elementary) and NCSS (middle and high school), time and materials required, prep required, and focus. The units also contain activities that are appropriate for each level using a variety of activities and include lots of extras like: charts, pictures, songs, games, puzzles, bookmarks, finger puppets, vocabulary worksheets, role playing activities, and journaling worksheets.

I believe that our American Heritage needs to be preserved, and taught to our children, they need to know that our nation was built on Biblical values, why the Pilgrims came here, what our forefathers believed, and what our founding documents say and do not say. It is also important to know and to not forget the sacrifices that were made and the lives given for our freedom. Freedom isn't free and we must never forget. I am thankful to the American Heritage Educational Foundation, and others who are preserving and teaching our true history. We will be using this curriculum in our homeschool, and you may want to, too or you may want it for a resource.

To download this curriculum visit the American Heritage Education Foundation's website. There are also printed binders available for purchase if you prefer for $19.95 each.





Disclosure: This product was provided to our family for free as members of the 2009-2010 Old Schoolhouse Magazine Homeschool Crew. Reviews and opinions expressed in this blog are our own.