Whereas, on July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress approved the language of the Declaration of Independence, and we now annually celebrate July 4 as Independence Day; Whereas two days earlier on July 2, 1776, Congress voted to dissolve all ties with Great Britain and become an independent Nation; Whereas John Adams said that July 2 ought to be commemorated as a day of deliverance by solemn act of devotion to God Almighty ; Whereas this practice of offering solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty became an oft-repeated precedent across the centuries of our history; Whereas President John Adams declared April 13, 1798, to be observed by the people of the United States as a day of public Fasting, Humiliation, and Prayer, as well as April 25, 1799; Whereas President James Madison declared June 9, 1812, as a day to be observed by the people of the United States as a day of public Fasting, Humiliation, and Prayer, as well as July 23, 1813, and November 16, 1814; Whereas by 1815, there had been 794 separate calls for days of Fasting, Humiliation, and Prayer issued by colonial, State, and Federal governments; Whereas national leaders after that time continued that tradition, including when President John Tyler called for a Day of Fasting and Prayer on May 14, 1841; as did President Zachary Taylor on August 3, 1849; President James Buchanan on January 4, 1861; President Abraham Lincoln on September 26, 1861, April 30, 1863, and August 4, 1864; President Andrew Johnson on May 25, 1865; President Chester A. Arthur on September 26, 1881; President Woodrow Wilson on May 30, 1918; and so forth; Whereas Congress itself separately issued eight calls to Humiliation, Fasting, and Prayer during the American Revolution and continued the practice across the generations, up to and including the congressional call for a Day of Humiliation, Fasting, and Prayer on April 30, 1974