This Thanksgiving, Americans will spend a wonderful day at home filled with good food and probably some football, partaking in a uniquely American tradition that has been with our nation from its very beginnings.
I am looking forward to spending some joyful time with my wife, Susan, along with our son Nick and his wife, Rachael, and her family.
In homes across America, families will gather and add their own twists to the Thanksgiving tradition: electing children to break the wishbone for good luck, gratefully savoring Grandma’s pumpkin pie, or trying — and often failing — to avoid discussing politics during the meal.
Despite these small differences, the constant in each home will be this: family.
As the family goes, so goes the nation.
From our families come our congregations and our communities; they are the essential “little platoons” our Founding Fathers identified as being indispensable to the health of our country.
Every facet of our society, be it the education of our children, our economic prosperity, the strength of our religious institutions, or the health of our political system, depends on our families.
As a former secretary of state, I know the world is a dangerous place, and I fear it will only get worse before it gets better.
We have a land war in Europe, a war instigated by terrorists in the Middle East, threatened war in Asia, and bad actors all around the world — from terrorists to drug cartels — are acting with impunity.
Yet I am confident America is strong enough to take on these challenges and thrive: not because of our leaders or political parties but because of our people and our families.
This is the core of our strength and what we need to cherish and nurture.
The protection of our families starts with education.
Contrary to what many misguided teachers’ unions may claim, our children are not wards of the state.
Parents alone possess the God-given authority to direct the education of their children and have a fundamental right, indeed a moral responsibility, to be involved in important educational decisions.
We need to encourage more — not less — parental engagement.
We saw during the COVID pandemic what happens when activists and special-interest groups are given priority over parents and families: lockdowns and learning loss.
When parents get involved, though, good things happen.
The more we involve parents and families, the better our entire educational system will become and the stronger our families will be.
So read to your kids, get involved in your local PTA, run for the school board, or just volunteer to help in your kids’ classroom.
Education is not solely about math reading and history; it is what parents teach their children about personal responsibility, our Judeo-Christian nation, and their place in preserving American civilization.
Religious freedom and our religious institutions are also essential to strengthening our families.
It is within the safe, private space of the family that children first learn how to interact with and love others, and it is where our religious faith is nurtured each day.
Our Founders believed deeply in the importance of faith — indeed, John Adams himself once said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.”
They understood that religious institutions alone — churches, synagogues, mosques, and more — are truly capable of providing moral guidance and direction and the entire nation suffers when these sacred spaces are corrupted or attacked.
Tragically, we are witnessing just these attacks today, with private and public actors who are hostile to religious expression fueling a dangerous rise of antisemitism.
To strengthen our families, we must dedicate ourselves to upholding true freedom of religion — rather than freedom from religion — and rediscover the fundamental importance of faith to our country.
Ultimately, strong families are our greatest defense against an overbearing, tyrannical government.
As Russell Kirk once wrote, “The traditional family . . . gives us those roots without which we all would be just so many lonely little atoms of humanity, unprincipled and at the mercy of some iron political domination.”
In every dangerous totalitarian government throughout history — fascist, communist, or otherwise — you will find that central to its governing philosophy was the destruction of the family.
Indeed, what has always set the United States apart is that far from being marked by blind devotion to the state, American patriotism is characterized by a unique commitment to faith and family.
To strengthen our institutions and our democracy, we must put our families first.
America’s future — and our ability to ensure America’s greatness for the next 250 years — depends on the strength of our families, and our nation has always understood and defended this commonsense belief.
This week, as we spend time with our loved ones, let’s be thankful we live in a country where this continues to be true.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and may God bless you and your family!
Mike Pompeo is a former United States secretary of state.