Thursday, May 27, 2010

National Day of Prayer Proclamations, 1900-1910 (13 in all)

A previous post here (Judge Declares National Day of Prayer Unconstitutional) discussed a federal judge declaring that our 235-year-old tradition of declaring a national day of prayer was not constitutional. So after 230 years of this tradition, started by the very men who wrote the Constitution, only now does someone think it an offense to the Constitution?

Here are 12 examples from the years 1900-1910:

1900 - William McKinley Proclamation on October 29, 1900. A day for “thanksgiving and praise” set apart on November 29, 1900. Reflecting on the closing year motivated the call to prayer.

1901 - Theodore Roosevelt Proclamation on September 14, 1901. A day of “mourning and prayer” set apart on September 19, 1901. The assassination of President McKinley motivated the call to prayer.

1901 - Theodore Roosevelt Proclamation on November 2, 1901. A day of “praise and thanksgiving to God” set apart on November 28, 1901. Reflecting on the closing year motivated the call to prayer.

1902 - Theodore Roosevelt Proclamation on October 29, 1902. A day of “festival and thanksgiving to God” set apart on November 27, 1902. Reflecting on the closing year motivated the call to prayer.

1903 - Theodore Roosevelt Proclamation on October 31, 1903. A day of “praise and
thanksgiving to God” set apart on November 26, 1903. Reflecting on the closing
year motivated the call to prayer.

1904 - Theodore Roosevelt Proclamation on November 1, 1904. A day to “give thanks unto Almighty God” set apart on November 24, 1904. Reflecting on the closing year motivated the call to prayer.

1905 - Theodore Roosevelt Proclamation on November 2, 1905. A day of “thanksgiving for the past and of prayer for the future” set apart on November 30, 1905. Reflecting on the closing year motivated the call to prayer.

1906 - Theodore Roosevelt Proclamation on October 22, 1906. A day of “thanksgiving and supplication” set apart on November 29, 1906. Reflecting on the closing year motivated the call to prayer.

1907 - Theodore Roosevelt Proclamation on October 26, 1907. A day of “general Thanksgiving and Prayer” set apart on November 28, 1907. Reflecting on the closing year motivated the call to prayer.

1908 - Theodore Roosevelt Proclamation on October 31, 1908. A day of “general thanksgiving and prayer” set apart on November 26, 1908. Reflecting on the closing year motivated the call to prayer.

1909 - William Howard Taft Proclamation on November 15, 1909. A day of “general thanksgiving... [for] praise and thanks to Almighty God” set apart on November 25, 1909.

1910 -William Howard Taft Proclamation on November 5, 1910. A day of “National Thanksgiving and Prayer” set apart on November 24, 1910. Reflecting on the closing year motivated the call to prayer.


The quotes above and the citations for them can be found in the ACLJ's amicus brief linked from this page:

ACLJ: Court Decision Declaring National Day of Prayer Unconstitutional 'Flawed' - Case Could End Up At Supreme Court

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