Should the phrase “under God”
be removed from the Pledge of
Allegiance?
Tom LeClair
Annamarie Tobia
Michelle Krug
Ashley Hughes
1
Pledge of Allegiance History
1892
• Francis Bellamy wrote the Pledge of Allegiance in
1892.
– The Pledge of Allegiance was meant to
• Publicize the Union and the liberty received by ALL American
citizens after the Civil War.
• Promote patriotism and national unity while the country was
attracting thousands of immigrants.
• The Pledge (as Bellamy had written it) was recited on
Columbus Day in 1892.
– There was no mention of God
• It soon became customary for students across the
US to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
2
Pledge of Allegiance History
(continued)
1924
• The Pledge of Allegiance was slightly modified in
1924 by the National Flag Conference.
– This was done because of the fear of “confusing”
immigrants.
• Many states approved legislation requiring students
to recited the Pledge daily.
• In 1924, after gaining popularity, the Pledge of
Allegiance received official standing when Congress
included it in the U.S. Flag Code.
3
Pledge of Allegiance History
(continued)
1943
• This was the first time the mandatory
recital of the Pledge of Allegiance was
challenged.
• What did they rule?
4
Pledge of Allegiance History
(continued)
1954
• It was this year that Congress inserted the
words “under God”.
– This change was not controversial at all at the
time.
– Eisenhower??? Gave the following reason
• The following changes occurred due, in
part, to the precedence set from the
Pledge decision.
5
So where did those two little words
come from?
• Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address?
– It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here
to the unfinished work which they who fought
here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather
for us to be here dedicated to the great task
remaining before us--that from these honored
dead we take increased devotion to the cause for
which they gave the last full measure of devotion;
that we here highly resolve that these dead shall
not have died in vain; that this nation, under God,
shall have a new birth of freedom; and that
government of the people, by the people, for the
people, shall not perish from the earth.
6
But then, where did Lincoln get
them?
• George Washington
– Washington spent July 2, 1776 rallying troops
in New York preparing them for the battles
that would inevitably take place that summer.
During that day, he wrote in his General
Orders the following:
• "The time is now near at hand which must
probably determine whether Americans are to
be freemen or slaves. . . . The fate of unborn
millions will now depend, under God, on the
courage and conduct of this army."
7
Why Should we remove the words
“under God”?
8
Some atheists and agnostics are
offended by this unnecessary
reference to God in a patriotic pledge,
as are advocates of religions which
may not worship a monotheistic god.
• Why should they be required to back the religious
guidelines of the majority?
• Who is Micheal Newdow?
9
Who is Michael Newdow?
•
•
•
•
Resident in California
California lawyer
Divorced from his wife
Does not have legal custody of his
daughter
10
Micheal Newdow brought a case to the
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in June of
2001 challenging the constitutionality of
mandatory recitation of the Pledge of
Allegiance in public school systems
because of the 1954 addition of the
phrase “under God”
• This court ruled 2 to 1 that to recite the Pledge in
a public school setting constitutes an
"endorsement of religion“
11
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
• Much emphasis was placed on the fact that
Congress inserted the words "under God" into the
Pledge in 1954 as a way to advance religion at a time
when the nation was engaged in a battle against the
principles of “atheistic communism”.
• Also, when President Eisenhower signed the bill, he
stated, "From this day forward, the millions of our
schoolchildren will daily proclaim . . . the dedication
of our Nation and our people to the Almighty." From
the Ninth Circuit's point of view, the record
obviously showed that the purpose of the act was
not to advance patriotism, but rather to promote
religion.
12
What happened?
• After the decision by the Ninth Circuit Court
of Appeals, the decision was “stayed” to
allow the judges to determine whether or not
the case should be heard “en banc”.
• During this stay, the Elk Grove Unified
School District, et al, appealed to the
Supreme Court.
13
The Supreme Court Decision
• The Supreme Court had ruled in the past that
ceremonial references to God in public
places and institutions do not represent an
establishment of religion.
• The Supreme Court ruled in much the same
way deciding that the phrase in the Pledge is
not unconstitutional.
14
So why were the words, “under
God” placed in the Pledge of
Allegiance in the first place?
• The main purpose of the prepositional
phrase was to differentiate communism
(which promotes atheism) and “western
capitalistic democracies” (which promotes
Christianity)
15
What does the Pledge of
Allegiance imply?
•
•
•
•
•
There is a deity that exists
Maleness
Uniqueness
Omnipresence
Influence
16
Why do we say the Pledge?
• The United States school system uses
the Pledge of Allegiance for several
reasons.
– Conformity
– Obedience
– Patriotism
17
How would you feel?
– "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the
United States of America, and to the
Republic for which it stands, one Nation
under Allah (or Rama, Ron, Krishna, or the
Goddess), indivisible, with liberty and
justice for all."
• Imagine how you would feel as a Muslim,
Atheist, Agnostic who was either required to
say the Pledge or who refused to say the
Pledge
– Belittled? Separated? Irrelevant? Different!
18
What does it mean?
• Millions of students across the United
States now have to recite the Pledge,
including the words, “under God” every
single day.
– Maybe not because they are legally forced
to say it, but they are pressured, socially
to say it.
• Oneness
• Status
• Public response
19
What now?
• Can the Supreme Court now strike down
"under God" without at the same time
striking at the very foundations of our
national existence? Or has the nation
changed to the point where we no longer
believe such an image to be true or, even,
useful to sustain our institutions?
20
Why should we keep them in?
21
Is the Constitution itself
unconstitutional?
• Congress notes in the bill S. 2690 that under
what it called the "erroneous rationale of the 9th
Circuit Court of Appeals," the inclusion of the
phrase "Year of our Lord" in Article VII would
render the entire Constitution itself
unconstitutional.
– These words aren’t necessary, but kept in for
historical purposes. Our country was founded by
Europeans that believed in God. “Under God”
was added to the pledge at a time that our country
needed to be distinguished from other communist
countries.
22
Another government reference
to God or a supreme being…
• The first paragraph of the (1776) U.S.
Declaration of Independence states:
• "When in the Course of human events, it
becomes necessary for one people to dissolve
the political bands which have connected them
with another, and to assume among the powers
of the earth, the separate and equal station to
which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God
entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of
mankind requires that they should declare the
causes which impel them to the separation."
23
A quote from Washington
• “Whatever may be conceded to the
influence of refined education on minds of
peculiar stature, reason and experience
both forbid us to expect that national
morality can prevail in exclusion of
religious principle."
– Washington in his farewell address, first
published 9/19/1796 in Philadelphia's
American Daily Advisor
24
How it all began
• "Christopher Columbus was motivated by his
Christian faith to sail to the New World." One
example of this can be found in his writings after
he discovered this new land. He wrote,
"Therefore let the king and queen, the princes
and their most fortunate kingdoms, and all other
countries of Christendom give thanks to our Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ, who has bestowed
upon us so great a victory and gift.
25
The religious heritage of the
United States
• November 11, 1620
Prior to embarking for the shores of America, the
Pilgrims signed the Mayflower Compact that declared:
`Having undertaken, for the Glory of God and the
advancement of the Christian Faith and honor of our
King and country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the
northern parts of Virginia,'.
– "The Pilgrims clearly stated that they came to the New World to
glorify God and to advance the Christian faith." It could easily be
said that America began with the words, "In the name of God.
Amen." Those were the first words of our nation's first selfgoverning document--the Mayflower Compact.
26
Puritans…
• The Puritans determined to anchor
their liberties on the written page, a
tradition taken from the Bible. They
created the Body of Liberties which
were established on the belief that
Christ's rule is not only given for the
church, but also for the state. It
contained principles found in the Bible,
specifically ninety-eight separate
protections of individual rights.
27
Education of Early America
• “The education of the settlers and
founders of America was uniquely
Christian and Bible-based." Education
was very important to the founders of
this country. The New England Primer
was used to teach colonial children to
read and included the Lord's Prayer,
the Apostle's Creed, and the text of
many hymns and prayers.
28
Declaration of Independence
• July 4, 1776
America's Founding Fathers, after appealing
to the `Laws of Nature, and of Nature's God'
to justify their separation from Great Britain,
then declared: `We hold these Truths to be
self-evident, that all Men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with
certain unalienable Rights, that among these
are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of
Happiness'.
29
Heritage cont’d.
•
In 1781
Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of
Independence and later the Nation's third President,
in his work titled `Notes on the State of Virginia'
wrote: “God who gave us life gave us liberty. And
can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when
we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction
in the minds of the people that these liberties are of
the Gift of God. That they are not to be violated but
with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country
when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot
sleep forever.”
30
• May 14, 1787
George Washington, as President of the
Constitutional Convention, rose to admonish
and exhort the delegates and declared: “If to
please the people we offer what we ourselves
disapprove, how can we afterward defend
our work? Let us raise a standard to which
the wise and the honest can repair; the event
is in the hand of God!”
31
Heritage cont’d.
• July 21, 1789
On the same day that it approved the Establishment
Clause concerning religion, the First Congress of the
United States also passed the Northwest Ordinance,
providing for a territorial government for lands
northwest of the Ohio River, which declared:
“Religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to
good government and the happiness of mankind,
schools and the means of education shall forever be
encouraged.”
32
• September 25, 1789
The First Congress unanimously approved a
resolution calling on President George
Washington to proclaim a National Day of
Thanksgiving for the people of the United
States by declaring, “…a day of public
thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by
acknowledging, with grateful hearts, the
many signal favors of Almighty God,
especially by affording them an opportunity
peaceably to establish a constitution of
government for their safety and happiness.”
33
Heritage cont’d.
• November 19, 1863
– As mentioned before, it is debated whether or not Lincoln referred
to God in his Gettysburg Address
34
Why was the phrase added?
• The nation was suffering through the height
of the cold war, and the McCarthy communist
witch hunt. Influenced by Rev. George
Docherty (1911 - ) who preached a sermon
that was attended by President Eisenhower
and the national press corps on 1954-FEB-7.
His sermon said in part: "Apart from the
mention of the phrase 'the United States of
America,' it could be the pledge of any
republic. In fact, I could hear little Muscovites
repeat a similar pledge to their hammer-andsickle flag in Moscow."
35
• The Pledge was for the purpose of
"solemnizing public occasions,
expressing confidence in the future,
and encouraging the recognition of
what is worthy of appreciation in
society." Lynch, 465 U.S. at 693
36
Censorship
• The censoring of “under God” out of
Pledge of Allegiance could be
compared to the teaching of
Darwinism. Not everyone believes in
Darwinism, but it is still introduced into
school systems.
• Is this a battle between censorship and
freedom?
37
Some opinions of people
supporting the Pledge of Allegiance
• "purposeful discrimination against
religious exercise" violates both the
free speech and free exercise of
religion clauses of the First
Amendment.
– American Center for Law & Justice
38
More opinions…
• “…its recitation is no more a religious act
than pocketing a coin imprinted with 'In God
We Trust.' The administration's brief says
both are simply patriotic acknowledgments
of 'the nation's religious history' and of the
'undeniable historical fact that the nation was
founded by individuals who believed in God,'
an empirical statement that poses no threat
to the separation of church and state.”
-New York Times
39
Just another patriotic exercise…
• The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ)
states on its website, as of 3/24/04:
• "In response to the September 11 terrorist attacks on
our country, a number of public school districts have
instituted a campaign to strengthen and encourage
patriotism among out citizens, especially our youth.
Various public schools have put up 'God Bless
America' or 'In God We Trust' signs and have
encouraged patriotic exercises such as reciting the
'Pledge of Allegiance' ... the 'Pledge of Allegiance' is
entirely a patriotic exercise expressing loyalty to our
nation."
40
Congress added the phrase "under God" to the
pledge in 1954, meaning to distinguish clearly
between the religious heritage of the United States
and the atheistic principles of Communism. As one
lawmaker stated in 1954: "Our American government
is founded on ... the belief that every human being
has been created by God and endowed by Him with
certain inalienable rights which no civil authority
may usurp. Thus, the inclusion of God in our Pledge
of Allegiance ... sets at naught the communistic
theory that the state takes precedence over the
individual."
41
References
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http://www.probe.org
http://usgovinfo.about.com
http://www.religioustolerance.org
http://www.washtimes.com
http://www.probe.org
http://usgovinfo.about.com
http://history.vineyard.net
http://www.undergodprocon.org
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