Caroline Fogel and Coral Clutts

Mrs. Henry
Service Learning
10 March, 2015
Three main points:

Under God was not added to the pledge until 1954 in order to oppose Communism

America was not founded on Christian beliefs and has no national religion

Americas government is specifically secular to protect first amendment rights

Opposing major premises:

Nation was founded based on the Christian belief

Failed Court Cases (Why it hasn't been changed)

Freedom of speech and religion

Opening Statement:
The words under God in the Pledge of Allegiance have been left open for interpretation since
they were added, and in turn have been surrounded by controversy. Many people may argue that
simply because America was founded by Christians, it is appropriate for this clause to be
included in the national pledge. Contrary to what many believe, the words under God were not
added to the Pledge until 1954 in order to oppose Communism. During the Cold War Era, many
Americans feared the influence of Communist countries on American democracy. In order to
deter these countries from spreading influence within American borders, Congress added under
God, to contradict the atheist teachings of Communism. Therefor, Under God is not a
religious declaration of faith, but rather a tactic of propaganda used to quell American fears of
change.
The idea of using religion to protect a government institution is ironic because America was
specifically set up in order to protect the citizens first amendment rights. Our government was

founded to have no relation between church and state, and according to church historian and
reverend Robert T. Handy, No more than 10 percent probably less of Americans in 1800
were members of congregations. To say that just because our Founding Fathers were Christian,
our country is based on Christianity is a flawed argument, and this can be seen directly in the
Constitution. According to Earlyamerica.com, nowhere in the Constitution do we have a single
mention of Christianity, God, Jesus, or any Supreme Being. There occurs only two references to
religion and they both use exclusionary wording. These two instances occur in Article VI,
Section 3, which states that no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any
office or public trust under the United States. Also the first amendment, arguably the most
fundamental and basic amendment states that Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion. . . This statement implies that no American citizen is REQUIRED to
be under God, which is specifically violated in the current Pledge of Allegiance.
America has no national religion, and claims to be the first nation in the world to be completely
secular. This concept of compartmentalization applies to more than just those American citizens
that are atheist or agnostic. The phrase under God may not specify exactly which God, but it
also should not be one encompassing reference. For example, even though Jews believe in God,
they do not believe in saying or even writing God unless it is a specific religious action or
during prayer. Hinduism is a polytheistic religion, meaning that those they are not under God
but rather under Gods. Buddhists do not even believe that Buddha was a god. All of these
religions are present and important to many Americans, yet every morning we ask our children to
put themselves under God even if it offends their belief and are punished if they dont comply.
This practice is not only fundamentally, morally, and historically wrong, but it is un-American.

Rebuttal against failed court cases:

Michael Newdow (founder of First Atheist Church of True Science) sued a school district
in 2003, and only lost because of personal relations

He was involved in another court case where the mother of his child wanted the child to
say the pledge with under God, so the court ruled that he did not have the standing to
sue

This court did NOT even discuss whether or not under God is constitutional

Newdow returned in 2007 with three other families to continue his pursuit to remove the
Pledge from schools entirely

The courts took four solid years to make their decision, which was against Newdow,
however did not comment on the legitimacy of under God in regards to the
Constitution

America doesnt need change

According to procon.org, Before December 1942 reciters saluted the flag in a straight
arm salute. This arm motion was eliminated by Congress in its revised Flag Code during
WWII because of the similarity to the Nazi salute.

This amendment was made specifically because the Nazi salute is offensive, and saying
that the change was just unnecessary is offensive

Works Cited
"Document Proclaims Secular Government - Archiving Early America." Archiving Early
America. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2015. <http://www.earlyamerica.com/early-americareview/volume-2/secular-government/>.
"Michael Newdow, JD, MD - Under God in the Pledge - ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines.
N.p., 11 June 2009. Web. 03 Mar. 2015.
<http://undergod.procon.org/view.source.php?sourceID=000241>.
"Robert T. Handy, Church Historian (Obit.)." History News Network. N.p., 6 Feb. 2009. Web.
05 Mar. 2015. <http://historynewsnetwork.org/article/61352>.
"Supreme Court Decisions - Under God in the Pledge - ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. N.p.,
24 Oct. 2008. Web. 03 Mar. 2015.
<http://undergod.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000080>.
"The Pledge of Allegiance's Straight-Arm Salute: 1892-1942 - Under God in the Pledge
ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. N.p., 20 Feb. 2008. Web. 03 Mar. 2015.
<http://undergod.procon.org/view.background-resource.php?resourceID=815>.
"US Flag Codes - Under God in the Pledge - ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. N.p., 7 Jan.
2011. Web. 03 Mar. 2015. <http://undergod.procon.org/view.additional
resource.php?resourceID=84>.