250 years ago this week
The Continental Congress issued 16 spiritual proclamations from 1775 to 1784, calling for fasting, prayer, humiliation, and thanksgiving during the American Revolution. It was this week 250 years ago that one of the most overtly Christian statements was made by America’s Founders during the Revolution (see pic above). It was drafted by William Livingston of New Jersey.
The Day of Fasting and Prayer was held on May 17, 1776. On this 250th anniversary year a national day of prayer has been proclaimed again by President Trump to be held on May 17, 2026 with a gathering for prayer on the national mall in Washington, DC. There are some pundits today who worry about so-called “Christian Nationalism” in modern America and a modern day of prayer as Trump is proclaiming is evidence in their mind of the danger. But in reality, it is nothing new. And if anything, it is far less overtly Christian and less frequent that in the beginning of our nation’s history.
It was Thomas Jefferson himself who wrote in a letter to John Winn (1823): “For the…Anniversary of the birth-day of our nation….my prayers [will be] ever offered to heaven …that the spirit of the day which gave them birth, may continue pure, strong and imperishable.”
To understand “the spirit of the day” that Jefferson spoke of, we offer the entire text below of the proclamation for fasting and prayer exactly 250 years ago:
Second Continental Congress: Proclamation for a Day of Fasting, Humiliation, and Prayer – March 16, 1776
In times of impending calamity and distress; when the liberties of America are imminently endangered by the secret machinations and open assaults of an insidious and vindictive administration, it becomes the indispensable duty of these hitherto free and happy colonies, with true penitence of heart, and the most reverent devotion, publicly to acknowledge the overruling providence of God; to confess and deplore our offences against him; and to supplicate his interposition for averting the threatened danger, and prospering our strenuous efforts in the cause of freedom, virtue, and posterity.
The Congress, therefore, considering the warlike preparations of the British Ministry to subvert our invaluable rights and privileges, and to reduce us by fire and sword, by the savages of the wilderness, and our own domestics, to the most abject and ignominious bondage: Desirous, at the same time, to have people of all ranks and degrees duly impressed with a solemn sense of God’s superintending providence, and of their duty, devoutly to rely, in all their lawful enterprises, on his aid and direction, do earnestly recommend, that Friday, the Seventeenth day of May next, be observed by the said colonies as a day of humiliation, fasting, and prayer; that we may, with united hearts, confess and bewail our manifold sins and transgressions, and, by a sincere repentance and amendment of life, appease his righteous displeasure, and, through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, obtain his pardon and forgiveness; humbly imploring his assistance to frustrate the cruel purposes of our unnatural enemies; and by inclining their hearts to justice and benevolence, prevent the further effusion of kindred blood.
But if, continuing deaf to the voice of reason and humanity, and inflexibly bent on desolation and war, they constrain us to repel their hostile invasions by open resistance, that it may please the Lord of Hosts, the God of Armies, to animate our officers and soldiers with invincible fortitude, to guard and protect them in the day of battle, and to crown the continental arms, by sea and land, with victory and success. Earnestly beseeching him to bless our civil rulers, and the representatives of the people, in their several assemblies and conventions; to preserve and strengthen their union, to inspire them with an ardent, disinterested love of their country; to give wisdom and stability to their counsels; and direct them to the most efficacious measures for establishing the rights of America on the most honorable and permanent basis—That he would be graciously pleased to bless all his people in these colonies with health and plenty, and grant that a spirit of incorruptible patriotism, and of pure undefiled religion, may universally prevail; and this continent be speedily restored to the blessings of peace and liberty, and enabled to transmit them inviolate to the latest posterity. And it is recommended to Christians of all denominations, to assemble for public worship, and abstain from servile labour on the said day.
By Order of Congress,
JOHN HANCOCK, President
Attest.
CHARLES THOMPSON, Secretary
Save the date! On August 2 this year, I and many of my colleagues, are calling on Americans across the country to gather in their homes and churches and groups to connect by zoom for a special event. It was on August 2 in 1776 that the Declaration of Independence was actually signed by Founders. They agreed to it on July 4, but did not sign and pledge their “lives, fortunes and sacred honor” until August 2. National scholars and spokesmen will give remarks this coming year and invite modern patriots to make their own pledge and sign a facsimile of the Declaration. Although not yet live, soon you can go to www.250Declaration.com to find out how to connect.
In addition to the Aug 2 event I am helping organize, in this 250th anniversary year, President Trump himself has made a proclamation for prayer. Whether he is a sincere believer or not does not matter. What we as citizens do with it, is crucial. Below is the text of the President’s proclamation. Find out more at this website https://www.freedom250.org/rededication250
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A Proclamation
On January 1, 2026, the United States began our year-long commemoration of an important milestone in the history of our country: 250 years of American freedom and independence.
Two and a half centuries ago, on July 4, 1776, thousands of years’ worth of wisdom, philosophy, and culture were brought together in Philadelphia where delegates to the Second Continental Congress gathered to declare the birth of a new nation — “conceived in Liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal” — and, in so doing, launched the single greatest force for goodness, justice, prosperity, and human flourishing the world has ever known.
As we celebrate the 250th year since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, we acknowledge with gratitude and pride that July 4, 1776, represents the most seminal political event in all of human history.
Unlike other nations, America’s Founding was rooted in the belief that every man, woman, and child is “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
This conviction, enshrined in our Declaration of Independence, and indelibly etched upon every American heart, remains the bedrock of our government and the crown jewel of Western civilization. For 250 years, the burning flame of liberty has been passed down from one generation to the next, and has carried our Nation and our people to heights that our Founding Fathers could have never dreamed.
Guided by the example of Founding Fathers like George Washington, John Adams, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, and other American patriots who helped light the torch of liberty in 1776, let us ask our Creator to bless America, free our Nation and our people from all threats to our safety and happiness, and to guide our actions for the security and common good of all Americans.
This year, we honor and cherish the generations of pioneers, warriors, statesmen, preachers, inventors, risk-takers, workers, and heroes whose unwavering commitment to the promise of freedom gave rise to the greatest Republic ever created. Today and throughout this year, I call on every American to celebrate this triumph of the American spirit, and to rededicate themselves to the sacred cause of liberty and justice for all.
The Bible teaches: “In all circumstances give thanks.” As such, it is fitting that we mark this special year as a unique occasion to celebrate our proud history, reflect on our abundant blessings, pray for our country and our people, and rededicate ourselves as one Nation under God.
From the earliest days of our national story, reflection and thanksgiving have been central to our character, identity, and destiny. Just weeks before declaring independence, the Second Continental Congress ordered a day of “fasting, humiliation and prayer,” petitioning God “to pardon all our manifold sins and transgressions” and to “establish the peace and freedom of America, upon a solid and lasting foundation.” Later, in the heart of the Revolutionary War, the Second Continental Congress declared it “the indispensable duty of all men to adore the superintending providence of Almighty God.”
In the sweltering summer of 1776, the promise of Freedom moved our ancestors to break with a tyrannical empire, issue the Declaration of Independence, and go on to overcome every hardship to establish a Republic like no other. It is this unwavering spirit of courage, faith and patriotism that propelled Paul Revere on his famous midnight ride, and that later inspired some of the world’s greatest men to pledge their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor to build a new nation. It is this spirit that led General George Washington to persevere at Valley Forge; inspired Davy Crockett to make his last stand at the Alamo; sustained settlers on the Oregon Trail; held the bloody ridges of Gettysburg; set slavery on a path to worldwide extinction; roused a generation of young men to conquer tyranny and communism overseas; and carried our beautiful Stars and Stripes to the face of the moon. To this very day, it is this American spirit that lives on in the hearts, minds, and souls of every patriot — and inspires every new generation of American citizens to reach further and aim higher.
When the Second Continental Congress voted in favor of independence, General George Washington issued General Orders to his army. In words that have echoed throughout history, he wrote: “The fate of unborn Millions will now depend, under God, on the Courage and Conduct of this army… Let us therefore rely upon the goodness of the Cause, and the aid of the supreme Being, in whose hands Victory is, to animate and encourage us to great and noble Actions.”
Today, too, we pray that our noble cause continues to be guided by the hand of providence and the grace of God — and that the fire of freedom will forever burn brightly in the heart of every American. Above all, this year, we pray and endeavor that the triumph of the American spirit and the glorious truths expressed in our Declaration of Independence will shine more radiantly than ever before.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim 2026 as a Year of Celebration and Rededication. I call on every American to reflect upon and celebrate the wisdom and deeds of the heroes of our Founding who made the miracle of America possible. I call on parents to teach their children about America’s inspiring history, heritage, and heroes. I invite the world to come to our shores to experience the splendor, warmth, and hospitality of America. And I encourage all Americans — including businesses, churches, families, and the military — to observe this year, reflecting on the blessings our Nation has received, with appropriate programs, ceremonies, concerts, celebrations, and activities in their homes, schools, work, communities, military bases, and houses of worship.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-ninth day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fiftieth.
– DONALD J. TRUMP