Blessings of liberty: “And, although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty.” 

• To help Americans to celebrate Thanksgiving, The Heritage Foundation has published a new booklet of historic poems, stories, art, and prayers that capture the bravery, sacrifice, and love that made America. 
• Included in “Celebrating America at the Thanksgiving Table” are primary sources, such as Edward Winslow’s account of the first Thanksgiving, quoted above. 

• This booklet was inspired by longtime Heritage friends Robert and Jane Lewit, whose family tradition of reading patriotic stories and singing songs will hopefully be shared by many Americans this Thanksgiving and for years to come. 

Download a free copy of the Thanksgiving booklet here. 

Party like it’s 1789: George Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation set the tone for the celebration as we know it today.  

• “I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of 
  all the good that was, that is, or that will be," he wrote.  

Read Washington’s proclamation here.  

Gratitude: One of President Reagan’s greatest gifts to Americans is a reminder that without gratitude for our blessings—liberty being foremost among these—the Great American Experiment will fail.  

• “As a measure of our gratitude, let us rededicate ourselves to the preservation of this, the land of the free and the home of the brave,” said the Great Communicator in his 1985 Thanksgiving address to the nation. 

Watch Reagan’s Thanksgiving address here.

Honest Abe: On October 3, 1863—in the midst of the Civil War—Abraham Lincoln urged Americans to give thanks in his Thanksgiving Address. In 2011, the late Ed Feulner weighed in on Lincoln’s message.

• “If Lincoln could encourage his fellow Americans to give thanks at such a bleak time, how can any of us complain about our lot? How can we read about polls that suggest our best days are behind us?” writes Feulner.

Read Feulner’s piece here.

Calling all innovators: Each year, Heritage awards $1 million in prizes to conservative organizations focused on policy solutions. The 2026 Innovation Prizes round is now open for applications.

• The prizes serve the movement and unite conservatives "to provide creative solutions to the most pressing problems facing the country,” says Heritage President Dr. Kevin Roberts.

Learn more here.

Oh, snap: Another judge has been caught legislating from the bench.  

• When SNAP benefits ran out during the government shutdown, Judge John McConnell “thought Congress should have created the option of raiding other federal programs and redirecting funds. Congress did not do that, so McConnell attempted to do it for them," write Senior Fellows Hans von Spakovsky and Tom Jipping. 

Read the full story on The Daily Signal here.  

America’s Founding Fathers are endlessly fascinating figures, and we all have a duty to learn about them.

• That’s why we published American Founders: Leaders at the Creation of the Republic.
• In this free eBook, you’ll learn how the Founders created the greatest nation in the world, and delve deep into the lives of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and others.

Click here to get your free copy today!

For too long, American leaders have been reactive and ineffective in the New Cold War with China. Join us as Brent Sadler and Jeff Smith discuss the necessity and strategy of naval statecraft to strengthen the homeland against economic coercion, modernize and reorganize institutions to successfully compete with China, and win the positional fight with China over markets and military posture. 

 

Dec. 4, 11 a.m. Register here.  

•  Report: Significant Policy Changes Needed to Meet Mass Deportation Goals—Mike Howell
• Report: Practical Steps to Break the Ice at the Poles: Realizing the Promise of the ICE Pact—Jordan Embree and Anna Gustafson
• How the Marines Are Working to Solve Their Logistics Problem—Mike Jernigan
• The Government Gives Too Much Authority to Leftist Academics, and That Needs to Stop—Eugene Kontorovich
• Transitioning from Coal Through ‘Creative Destruction’—Austin Gae
• Regions Bank’s Future Depends on Renewed Fiduciary Focus—Allen Mendenhall, Ph.D.
• Trump Has Made the Border Secure Again—But Now the Hard Part Begins—Simon Hankinson
• Mamdani Is a Warning for Western Civilization—Mike Gonzalez
• Hallowed Ground: 5 Military Sites That Shaped America’s Freedom—Gillian Richards Augros and Julia Dasaro
• Trump Moves Onward and Forward with the ‘Club of Strength’ —Anthony B. Kim

James Carafano, senior counselor to Heritage’s president, and E.W. Richardson Fellow, appeared on Fox Business to explain why selling F-35s to Saudi Arabia is in America’s strategic interests. Watch the clip on X.