E PLURIBUS UNUM
E Pluribus Unum was the de facto (but unofficial) motto (motto is the Italian for “pledge”) of the United
States of America until 1956. Then, the Few changed it to the English phrase, “in God We Trust”,
because they wanted to emphasize the Christian “uniqueness” and Christian “power” of the Nation.
The Supreme Court ruled that this imposed change was not a violation of the Principle of the Separation
of Church and State and that of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment (Aronow v. United
States; Lynch v. Donnelly; and Zorach v. Clauson). Unfortunately, the Supreme Court can be the tool of
the powerful. Their ruling was based upon what was best for the Few. It was not based upon what was
best for the Many. The choice of “in God We Trust” was the Few’s attempt to undermined the concept
of equality and to limit religious freedom (to Christianity).
James Pollock is credited with assigning it to coinage and influencing its future application. Pollock was
the 13th Governor of Pennsylvania, and he was a radical, conservative Christian. Also, Pollock was a
member of the privileged class.
The “Founding Fathers” were an extremely diverse group. Many of these individuals were well read,
intellectual, self-made, and successful. Also, they cared about their fellow citizens to the point of their
willingness to stand against some of the Few of their time period (the royalty of the European Nations,
especially England). In truth, the Few would have tried to prevent the “Founding Fathers” from entering
the British American Colonies if they could have foreseen the future.
For the Few, the Nation could only be Christian (Protestant) and could only be conservative and could
only be the privileged and could only be male, and could only be white and could only be the ones who
arrived first (nativism). Everyone else was not a true American. That is, the majority of the people of
North America were not viewed as being worthy. The European immigrants of the18th and 19th
Centuries were the real Americans-forget everyone else who came before them or who came after
them.
Again, the Few of America never asked the Many for their consent. They simply imposed their phrase of
“in God We Trust” upon the Many with the support of President Dwight D. Eisenhower (at a time when
McCarthyism and anti-communist hysteria were running amok. This was during the period of the
Second Red Scare: 1947-1957). (Evidently, if you trusted in God, you could not be a communist.
Everyone knew that communists could not be Christians. Christians were not communists-just everyone
else. Diversity was communistic. Everyone knew this truth-did they not?)
E Pluribus Unum is a Latin phrase, and it is a variation of Heraclitus’ 10th fragment: “Out of all things,
one, and one, out of all things.” (Heraclitus of Ephesus, “the Obscure”, was a Pre-Socratic philosopher
who conceptualized that paradoxical change was the basis of all existence.) This variant was first
utilized by Saint Augustine of Hippo in his work, Confessions, which was written between AD 337 and AD
338. The “Founding Fathers” translated the Saint Augustine’s Latin phrase as “Out of many, one.”
The 13 letters of this Latin phrase, originally, suggested that out of many colonies or states (The Original
Thirteen were: Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts Bay,
Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, North Carolina, and Rhode
Island/Providence) emerged a single nation. Over time, the phrase has become to mean that out of
many peoples, races, religions, and ancestries have evolved a single people and a single nation-the
United States of America.
Pierre Eugene du Simiitiere was born in Geneva, Switzerland, and he died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
He was a philosopher, a member of the American Philosophical Society, a naturalist, an American
Patriot, and a portrait painter. He suggested E Pluribus Unum for the Great Seal of the United States.
Also, E Pluribus Unum was the choice of the “Founding Fathers” because they wished to emphasize
equality and religious freedom for the people in the forming Nation.
Parenthetically, President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt opposed the application of the “in God We
Trust” phrase to all that were American-especially to US coinage and to US currency. President
Roosevelt felt that the use of this phrase as a motto was sacrilegious. Intuitively, he understood that
this was another attempt by the Few to impose their extreme, Christian, European attitudes upon the
Many. President Roosevelt was a champion of the Many for his entire life. And, the Few really, really
hated him. Along with Washington, Lincoln, (F.D.) Roosevelt, and Truman, he was one of our greatest,
American Presidents. (Some American history scholars might disagree.)
To re-emphasize, diversity is the secret of America’s strength and America’s creativity. The Nation keeps
re-inventing itself due to the continuous and varying flow of people from other nations of the world.
Because of the specific, developmental pattern of the British American Colonies (that is, the East Coast
Colonies), E Pluribus Unum will be chosen as the name for a proposed website (as well as to honor the
“Founding Fathers”). Also, from one of the many will be the website’s signature for the present article
as well as for future articles: Fromoneofthemany. This signature was chosen in order to emphasize that
the proposed website will attempt to speak for those of the Many who cannot speak for themselves.
The Few are welcomed to read the future articles for the proposed website. But, it might be difficult for
them. You have to be literate, and you have to know something about history.
The mentality of “I do not wish to know anything about anything” is better for people who wish to
exclude rather than for people who wish to include. For example, the current “Tea Party” (2009present) is a vehicle for people who wish to exclude diversity. Unfortunately, this mentality is not
unique to them. Diversity heaters have numerous predecessors (in America’s history). Do the
members of this party realize that they are a repeating pattern of bigotry which feeds upon itself to the
point of self-implosion?
The head of The Tea Party Caucus thinks that “the shot that was heard around the world” happened in
New Hampshire during the Revolutionary War. Ebenezer Munroe is credited with the shot. He was a
participant in the Battles of Lexington and Concord. He fired the shot in Concord, Massachusetts.
Today, this phrase has evolved. Now, it is applied to several historic events rather than to only the
Munroe incident.
Some politicians, in the service of the Few, are really, really ignorant. But, they do make good
presidential candidates. They are easier to control, and they are easier to manipulate-like a certain
House Member from Minnesota (Michele Marie “the Ignorant” Bachmann). She is the Koch Brothers’
founder of the Tea Party Caucus of the Republican Party. (Well, the Few had to create a title for her.
Without a title who are you?)
Bachmann is well educated, and she is an attorney. Hopefully, she is acting the part of “an empty
headed and an unaware” citizen. The very “Founding Fathers” she supposedly idealizes would be
unhappy with her demonstrated “ignorance” of basic American history. They would view her as
unworthy to be President: not to know, accurately, of the history they made! (Well, it is almost
unforgiveable is it not?)
The “Tea Party” might remind an American historian of the self-destructive, “Know Nothing” Party
(preceded by the Whig Party, the Native American Party, and the American Party) of the 19th Century.
Apparently, if questioned by the Many, a member of the “No Nothing” Party was instructed to say: “I
know nothing.” Besides the answer being poor grammar, it appears to be a tactic for discovery rather
than being a tactic for avoidance. (In any case, this is one of stories that have been created in order to
explain the derivation of their name.)
The “Know Nothing” Party hated the Catholic Irish and the Catholic German people who were coming
from elsewhere. The Party members (Protestant, male, adult, and of British ancestry) attempted to limit
the freedoms of these new American immigrants. These bigots failed in their attempts to discriminate
against them. The Party lasted less than 20-years (1845-1860) before it imploded.
As stated above, the “Tea Party” (2009-present) is simply an extension of past, “we are superior”
movements. The “Tea Party” is better funded than most movements of their type. But, they will fail no
matter what games of propaganda they engage (for example, the “Big Lie” technique of Dr. Joe
Goebbels). The Party’s exclusive attitudes will lead to its self-destruction: and to ignore history will
cause repeating it. That is, exclusive attitudes concerning other human beings will always lead to the
rapid disappearance of those people holding such beliefs.
To quote the great, Spanish, American philosopher, George Santayana, “Those who cannot remember
the past are condemned to repeat it.” This phrase may be found in his seminal work, the Life of Reason
(1905). The members of the “Tea Party” are too arrogant to accept their predictable fate. And, this may
be a good thing for the Many!
But more importantly, the Few are ethically and morally wrong in attempting to limit the existence of
the Many. The Few are truly doomed in this life and the next because of their sins of exclusion. Their
true gods are greed, power, and wealth. This is the trinity that they worship in place of an all forgiving
God. May that God forgive them! The Many will not.
In summary, Major Audile Leon Murphy was a fifth grade dropout from an extremely poor, Irish family
of sharecroppers. He was born in the State of Texas on June 20th, 1924. He suffered from undiagnosed,
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder his entire life. This most decorated soldier (33 decorations including the
Metal of Honor) died in a plane crash at the age of 44. His Medal of Honor was for his heroic actions in
his attempt to defend his fellow soldiers (especially Pfc Lattie Tipton who was killed in the action) on
January, 26th, 1945. Latter in his life, Murphy would befriend an American union leader and organizer by
the name of James Riddle “Jimmy” Hoffa. (Now, that was a relationship for the ages!)
The Few, if they had their way, would not have allowed the parents of Murphy or the parents of Hoffa or
the families of the “Founding Fathers” to enter North America. In truth, if the Few had had it their way,
there would not have been a United States of America.
“To Hell with Them” (Audie Murphy); and “only the dead have seen the end of war” (George Santayana).
Please join the Many at the proposed website: epluribusunum.net. Remember, this website is designed
for the many and for the few who wish to include rather than exclude.
Post Script:
The term, “American exceptionalism”, refers to the idea that Americans have been chosen by their
Christian god to lead and to control the peoples of the world. North Americans do not appear to
understand that the ideas of “chosen” and “unique” and “superior” have been incorporated by other
cultures (for example, by the Europeans over, and over, and over again). Not only is an “American
exceptionalism” a false notion, but also, it is a guarantee that a people believing such nonsense will fail.
Does Santayana have to be proven correct yet another time? Religious mottoes (of nations) can be
dangerous.
Look at the history of Italy-especially of the “Roman Empire!” The “Roman Empire” is but one sad
example of a people who believed that the gods favored them only: “in Their Gods They Trusted” to a
point of disregarding the Many. And, the Many made the Romans pay for their cruelty and their
arrogance.
The Many will always make the Few pay for their cruelty and arrogance.
The Many and the Few must find better ways to relate, to interact, and to take responsibility for their
social systems and for their economic systems before it is too late for ALL of humanity.
Fromoneofthemany
PS