President James Madison proclaimed a national day of prayer and
thanksgiving after the end of the War of 1812. U.S. and British
emissaries effectively ended the conflict with the signing of the
Treaty of Ghent on Christmas Eve, 1814 in Belgium. The treaty restored
the prewar boundaries of the U.S. and Canada, but it did not address
British violations on the high seas and the imprisonment of American
seamen. A joint commission was appointed to address those other
concerns.
During the war, President Madison proclaimed three days of fasting
and prayer in response to Congressional requests (August 20, 1812,
September 9, 1813, and January 12, 1815). He was the last president
to call for a national thanksgiving until Abraham Lincoln in 1863.
|
