Composer Carol Barnett writes: "An American Thanksgiving was commissioned by the Dale Warland Singers for their final season and premiered on November 1, 2003. The concert had a Thanksgiving theme, so I chose three hymns from the original Sacred Harp collection based on their compatible texts and compelling melodies."
This piece is the second of three pieces which are published separately. The other two are Webster (S204A) and Ninety-Third Psalm (S204C). The text was written by an English minister named Samuel Stennett (1727-1797).