Sen. Dahm files legislation to require schools to teach students about historical Thanksgiving proclamations

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Nathan Dahm, R-Broken Arrow, has filed Senate Bill 1121, to help Oklahoma students understand the importance of Thanksgiving in our nation’s history. 

“It’s important that students and all future generations understand the value of Thanksgiving,” Dahm said. “Some of these proclamations date back all the way to our founding fathers and have serious historical significance that should be explored.”

The new bill requires students to read, or have read to them, five Thanksgiving proclamations in the five days leading up to Thanksgiving. The first of these proclamations is dated back to December 18, 1777, in which the Continental Congress thanked “Almighty God.”

There are many Thanksgiving proclamations throughout the history of the United States, however this bill seeks to narrow the list down to five historically significant proclamations including:

• The Proclamation by the Continental Congress for a day of Thanksgiving in 1777
• The First Presidential Prayer Proclamation issued by George Washington in 1789
• The Thanksgiving Proclamation issued by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944
• The Thanksgiving Proclamation issued by Ronald Reagan in 1985
• The Thanksgiving Proclamation issued by Oklahoma City Mayor Sidney Clarke in 1889

“These five proclamations were chosen because they hit on all aspects of what Thanksgiving means historically and religiously,” Dahm said.

SB 1121 would apply to all public schools, including virtual and charter schools, as well as state career techs, colleges and universities.

For more information, contact Sen. Nathan Dahm at 405-521-5551 or email Nathan.Dahm@oksenate.gov

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