It was in 1789, when the first National Presidential Thanksgiving Proclamation
was made by George Washington, the first President of the United States of
America. Thanksgiving was celebrated on last Thursday of November that year. The
President made the next Thanksgiving proclamation six years later in 1795. In
this proclamation, George Washington, urged to 'all religious societies and
denominations, and to all persons whomsoever, within the United States to set
apart and observe Thursday, the 19th day of February next as a day of public
thanksgiving and prayer'.
Three years later, John Adams made a proclamation as 'a loud call to repentance
and reformation' and 'Wednesday, the 9th day of May next' was to be 'observed
throughout the United States as a day of solemn humiliation, fasting, and
prayer'. Next year, John Adams made a Thanksgiving Proclamation, which stated
that 'a plain dictate of duty and a strong sentiment of nature that in
circumstances of great urgency and seasons of imminent danger earnest and
particular supplications should be made to Him who is able to defend or to
destroy; as, moreover, the most precious interests of the people of the United
States are still held in jeopardy by the hostile designs and insidious acts of a
foreign nation'.
It was about 15 years in 1814, when James Madison issued a Thanksgiving
Proclamation stating that the 'in the present time of public calamity and war a
day may be recommended to be observed by the people of the United States as a
day of public humiliation and fasting and of prayer to Almighty God for the
safety and welfare of these States' and Thanksgiving was observed on 12th
January, which was a Thursday. In 1815, Madison stated that ' a day may be
recommended to be observed by the people of the United States with religious
solemnity as a day of thanksgiving and of devout acknowledgments to Almighty God
for His great goodness manifested in restoring to them the blessing of peace' in
his Thanksgiving proclamation.
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