Political Apologies
How does the act of apologizing enable societies to come to terms with their past?
Political apologies can be a powerful tool in the re-examination of a nation's history, and the significance this history has on democratic processes. The project includes a working list of political apologies throughout history that political scientist Graham Dodds has researched and compiled.
This is a working list of major political apologies and related events. The selection criteria for compiling the list are somewhat loose, but the intent is to include any and all apologies that involve states, nations, or major political groups and actors, generally for significant public wrongs. Thus, apologies by individual politicians for more narrow matters (e.g., alleged personal or criminal failings) are generally excluded.
Should you wish to add to the list, please e-mail ahda@columbia.edu.
| Date of Apology | Title | Summary | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1077 | Church-State Conflicts |
Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV apologizes to Pope Gregory VII for church-state conflicts by standing barefoot in the snow for three days. |
Once More, With Feeling. Time. September 21, 1998. |
| 1403 | Proclamation Apologizing to the Peasantry |
Queen Margaret I of Denmark issues a proclamation apologizing to the peasantry for the “great burden and much toil” caused by the “wantonness, greed and willfulness” of her clerks, bailiffs, and herself. |
Moberg, Vilhelm A. A History of the Swedish People. University of Minnesota, 2005. Vil. 1, p208. I am indebted to Steven Pinker for this reference. |
| 1697 | Salem witch trials of 1692 |
One judge and twelve jurors apologize for the Salem witch trials of 1692, as the colony declares a day of fasting and prayer to atone for the injustices. |
Norton, Mary Beth. “The Called It Witchcraft.” New York Times. October 31, 2002. A27. |
| 1711 | Compensation for the families of the victims of the Salem witch prosecutions |
Massachusetts compensates the families of the victims of the Salem witch prosecutions. |
Norton, Mary Beth. “The Called It Witchcraft.” New York Times. October 31, 2002. A27. |
| June 1731 | Benjamin Franklin-“Apology for Printers,” |
In the U.S., Benjamin Franklin responds to criticisms about printing controversial essays by various authors in his Pennsylvania Gazette by issuing an “Apology for Printers,” which he then regularly reissues. |
Brands, H.W. The First American. Anchor Books, 2000. p115. |
| 10 July 1795 | US President pardons rebels. |
U.S. President George Washington pardons individuals convicted for the Whiskey Rebellion in Pennsylvania. |
Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/206665 |
| 21 May 1800 | US President pardons rebels |
U.S. President John Adams pardons individuals convicted for Fries’s Rebellion in Pennsylvania. |
Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/202254 |
| 1811 | Leopard-Chesapeake |
Britain apologizes to the U.S. for the 1807 Leopard-Chesapeake incident and makes restitution. |
Dickson, Charles. The Foreign Burial of American War Dead. Mcfarland, 2011. p13 |
| 1853 | U.S. Senator Jefferson Davis apologizes to avoid a duel. |
U.S. Senator Jefferson Davis apologizes to Senator Judah Benjamin in order to avoid a duel |
Jones, Terry L. “The Jewish Rebel.” New York Times. April 18, 2012 |
| 26 August 1856 | Russian Tsar grants amnesty to exiled revolutionaries |
Tsar Alexander II of Russia grants amnesty to the surviving “Decembrists” (perpetrators of a failed revolt in 1825 in St. Petersburg) and permits them to return to western Russia after three decades of forced exile in Siberia. |
Trigos, Ludmilla. The Decembrist Myth in Russian Culture. Palgrave, 2009. Page xx. |
| 6 April 1858 | US President pardons Mormons to end Utah War |
To end the Utah War, U.S. President James Buchanan pardons members of the Church of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) who submit to the authority of the federal government. |
Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/202635 |
| 1859 | The U.S. signs a treaty with Paraguay |
The U.S. signs a treaty with Paraguay, in which Paraguay apologizes for firing on the USS Water Witch in 1855. |
“The Treaty with Paraguay.” New York Times. April 18, 1859 |
| 1863 | USA- Thanks giving to commemorate the Civil War |
U.S. President Abraham Lincoln issues a proclamation establishing Thanksgiving as a national holiday, enjoining the nation to repent for “our national perverseness and disobedience” to God during the Civil War and asking forgiveness for the sins that led to so many deaths. |
“How the Story Goes.” (Editorial.) New York Times. November 28, 2002; Ulrich, Laurel Thatcher. |
| 8 December 1863 | US President issues first pardon to Confederates |
U.S. President Abraham Lincoln offers to pardon Confederates who take an oath of loyalty to the Union, in order to help win the U.S. Civil War. |
Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/202362 |
| 26 March 1864 | US President issues second pardon for Confederates. |
U.S. President Abraham Lincoln issues a second pardon offer for Confederates, to clarify some practical issues with his initial pardon offer of 1863. |
Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/202385 |
| 1865 | First Mother’s Day celebration in West Virginia |
Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis organizes the first Mother’s Day celebration in West Virginia, as a way of bringing together people of different political beliefs to benefit Civil War veterans |
Tabler, David. “The WV family that brought us Mother’s Day.” www.appalachianhistory.net. May 5, 2011. |
| 16 January 1865 | U.S. General William Tecumseh Sherman - newly frees slaves in South Carolina to receive forty acres of land |
U.S. General William Tecumseh Sherman issues Special Field Order #15, calling for newly frees slaves in South Carolina to receive forty acres of land |
Weiner, Brian A. Sins of the Parents. Temple, 2005. p166. |
| 29 May 1865 | US President grants amnesty to some Confederates |
U.S. President Andrew Johnson grants amnesty to many Confederates who fought in the Civil War, with some exceptions, if they take an oath of loyalty. |
Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/203492 |
| 7 September 1867 | US President grants amnesty to many Confederates |
For the second time, U.S. President Andrew Johnson grants amnesty to many Confederates who fought in the Civil War, with fewer exceptions than in his 1865 pardon, if they take an oath of loyalty |
Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/201906 |
| 4 July 1868 | US President issues amnesty for most Confederates |
U.S. President Andrew Johnson issues a near-universal and unconditional amnesty for Confederates who fought in the Civil War, exempting only those currently under indictment for treason or similar offenses. |
Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/202903 |
| 25 December 1868 | US President issues amnesty for Confederates |
U.S. President Andrew Johnson issues a universal and unconditional amnesty for Confederates who fought in the Civil War. This is his fourth and final such action. |
Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/203394 |
| 1871 | Britain pays monetary compensation to the US |
Britain pays monetary compensation for the use of its warships by the South to harass Union shipping lanes in the U.S. Civil War. |
Bowering, George. Stone Country. Penguin, 2003. p155 |
| 27 January 1892 | Chile - U.S. indemnity for soldiers killed or injured by a mob in Valparaiso |
Chile officially apologizes and agrees to pay an indemnity for U.S. sdiers killed or injured by a mob in Valparaiso in October, 1891. (U.S. President Benjamin Harrison had threatened to seek a declaration of war over the incident in December, 1891. |
Taylor, Tim. The Book of Presidents. Arno Press, 1972. p267. |
| 2 August 1894 | Japan -Great Britain compensation for sinking the British ship Kow Shing. |
Japan reportedly apologizes and offers to pay compensation to Great Britain for its cruiser Naniwa mistakenly firing upon and sinking the British ship Kow Shing. Japanese officials in London deny the report. |
Japan Makes Apology.” New York Times. August 2, 1894; “The Kow-Shing Affair Again.” New York Times. October 2, 1894 |
| 25 September 1894 | US president pardons polygamous Mormons |
President Grover Cleveland pardons members of the Church of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) who had engaged in polygamy, expanding President Harrison’s pardon of 1893. |
Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/206350 |