So Much to be Thankful for: Reflections on Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation

I'm thankful that we had a great harvest of beautiful mini popcorn this year!

The year that is drawing toward 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 even soften the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.

That’s the first paragraph of Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation, which decreed that Americans dedicate the fourth Thursday of November every year “as a Day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.” Lincoln’s proclamation said nothing about the Pilgrims, turkey, or football. What he did mention was the Civil War. We may think our country is divided now, but it’s still not as bad as it was in the 1860s. Over 600,000 soldiers (and an unknown number of civilians) were killed—over 2 percent of the US population at the time. And yet, as Lincoln pointed out, there was so much to be thankful for, too—good crops, peace with other nations, productive industry, thriving cities.

And that got me thinking. When it comes to sustainable agriculture, it’s so easy to fall into a rut of criticism and complaint, pointing out the myriad flaws in our food system. It’s necessary, of course, to point out problems so that we can work to solve them. But far too often we never stop to be thankful for all the progress we’ve made. And never being thankful or looking at the positive side leads to depression and, eventually, despair. So this Thanksgiving, here are some things that I’m thankful for that have changed for the better in the past fifty years:

I’m thankful that I can buy whole wheat flour, yogurt, blackstrap molasses, and organic vegetables at practically any grocery store without being labeled a “food faddist.”

I’m thankful for USDA organic certification. It might not be perfect, but it’s sure better than no certification at all.

I’m thankful that the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act have drastically reduced air and water pollution since 1970.

I’m thankful that Lake Erie isn’t “dead” anymore and the Cuyahoga River no longer catches on fire.

I’m thankful that most land-grant universities now have at least one or two people doing research on organic farming and are no longer writing extension bulletins discouraging organic practices.

I’m thankful that the Cold War is over and we no longer have to live under the constant threat of nuclear annihilation.

I’m thankful that the USDA is no longer spraying forests and farms with DDT and that bald eagles are recovering and thriving.

I’m thankful for all the organic farmers who work so hard to grow good food and get it to consumers.

I’m thankful for a wonderful year in our own garden and that we get to eat our own homegrown Narragansett turkey and pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving.

Sure, the world’s not perfect, and we still have a long ways to go to make American agriculture truly sustainable. But we’ve made a lot of progress since the 1970s. There’s still work to be done—but I’m so thankful for how far we’ve already come. And now I need to go bake that homemade pumpkin pie (with a whole wheat crust, of course). Happy Thanksgiving!