The National Day of Prayer is an annual day of observance designated by the United States Congress and held on the first Thursday of May, when people are asked "to turn to God in prayer and meditation". The president is required by law (36 U.S.C. § 119) to sign a proclamation each year, encouraging all Americans to pray on this day.[1][2]
The modern law formalizing its annual observance was enacted in 1952 as part of the public reaction to the threats perceived in the Korean War, although earlier days of fasting and prayer had been established by the Second Continental Congress from 1775 until 1783, and by President John Adams in 1798 and 1799.[3][4]
The constitutionality of the National Day of Prayer was unsuccessfully challenged in court by the Freedom From Religion Foundation after an appellate court dismissed the case based on standing without ruling on the day's legality. The Alliance Defense Fund (now known as the Alliance Defending Freedom) provided the defense for observance of the National Day of Prayer.[5][6][7]
^"36 U.S.C. § 119 : US Code – Section 119: National Day of Prayer".
^"History of the National Day of Prayer". Nationaldayofprayer.org. Archived from the original on April 13, 2012. Retrieved May 3, 2012.
^Adams, John (March 6, 1799). "Proclamation – Recommending a National Day of Humiliation, Fasting, and Prayer". The American Presidency Project. University of California, Santa Barbara. Archived from the original on December 15, 2014. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
^Adams, John (March 31, 1798). "By the President of the United States of America, a Proclamation". The Weekly Magazine. 1 (9): 287. John Adams' signed the proclamation on March 3, 1798, with the day of prayer to take place on May 9, 1798.
^Legal challenge to National Day of Prayer thrown out, The Christian Science Monitor
^Court Dismisses Challenge to National Day of Prayer, USA Today
^"No muzzling of National Day of Prayer in wake of failed legal attacks". Sonoran News. May 9, 2011. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
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