Friday, February 1, 2008

Today is National Freedom Day

Today is National Freedom Day....what freedoms are you thankful for? I'm thankful for the freedom to worship with other Christians. I'm thankful for the freedom to pick my own job. I'm thankful for freedom in Christ. Here is more history and information about National Freedom Day from this holiday web-site:

When : Always February 1st
National Freedom Day celebrates freedom from slavery, and recognizes that America is a symbol of freedom.
National Freedom Day was established in 1948 to remind us that America stands for, and is a symbol of freedom for all people. The roots of this special day come directly from the end of slavery and the signing of the 13th amendment outlawing slavery.
Celebrate this day by reflecting upon your own freedoms that you enjoy by being fortunate enough to be in America. Millions of people in the world are not free.
Origin of National Freedom Day:
Major Richard Robert Wright Sr., a former slave, created National Freedom Day. He believed that there should be a day when freedom for all Americans is celebrated. President Lincoln signed the 13th Amendment outlawing slavery on February 1, 1865. So, February 1st was chosen to celebrate National Freedom Day.
On June 30, 1948, President Harry Truman signed a the bill proclaiming February 1st as National Freedom Day.

You could do all sorts of neat things today....create a special meal with red-white-and blue....Check out some books from the library about slaves or former slaves or America...bake something to take to a veteran or write a thank you note.....make a special time to pray and thank God for our freedoms and pray for those who aren't free...make a list of things we are free from in Christ. For more neat holidays in the month of February...check out the holiday link in the side-bar!

1 comment:

Katie said...

cool! I had no idea! I checked out your link, did you know this is also national grapefruit month? Have you had your grapefruit today? I think that would be fun to do after church wednesday!

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