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Kade Martin

Laurie Oberg

English 11

3 March 2016

One Nation Under What?

In 1892, the Pledge of Allegiance (POA) was written to commemorate the four hundredth

anniversary of Columbus discovering America. In 1954, congress added the phrase under God

to the POA due to petition by the Knights of Columbus; the worlds largest Catholic

organization. Separation of church and state is of or an important key in the U.S. Constitution.

Both the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause ensure this Separation. Under

God in the POA is not to be taken as a religious practice, more of a celebration of tradition. It

was originally added as a representation of our religious background as a country built on faith.

Written into the U.S. Constitutions First Amendment is the idea of the separation of

church and state; Separationimplying exclusionof religion from political or public affairs

of state. Time and again this idea has not been enforced the way that it should. The Supreme

Court, before 1954, had no problem with the understanding of this idea. In 1947, in the case

Everson v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court declared, The First Amendment has erected a

wall between church and state. That wall must be kept high and impregnable. We could not

approve the slightest breach. Only seven years later the words under God were added into

the POA, directly going against the Supreme Courts ruling, also going against the Establishment

and Free Exercise clauses in the Constitution. Congress shall make no law respecting an

establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof... Thus, through the addition
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of under God in the POA, congress has put the idea of respect and public prayer to a

monotheistic religion and practice, into the minds of the American people.

Under God in the POA is thought of by many people, as a celebration of tradition that

we as a country have held for the past 60 years. The POA is said in thousands of schools all

across the country most every day, so the people dont see it as any form of religious practice or

public prayer. What many may not realize is that it should be considered a public practice. In

1954, the Knights of Columbus: a very religious organization, petitioned to have under God be

put into the POA as to be said as a public prayer. The petition meant for under God to be a

reminder to the ideals of religion which founded this country. Whether or not it is meant for that

today by the American population is out of the question due to it being a violation of the

Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses.

The Pledge of Allegiance and the phrase under God has been a part of our history for

just over 6 decades. In that time, plenty of debates and questions have arisen about the topic of

whether or not it is to be considered a public prayer or religious practice, or if we say the phrase

in a matter of celebration to honor unity in our country. The phrase is to be considered religious

because of its religious nature and the involvement it has with the U.S. Constitutions idea of the

separation of church and state and the Establishment and Free Exercise clauses.
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Works Cited

One Nation under God? A Constitutional Question Pewforum

19 March. 2004. Feb 4. 2016.

Should the Words under God be in the US Pledge of Allegiance? Procon.org

May 6. 2009. Feb 22. 2016.

First Amendment U.S. Constitution Constitution.findlaw.com

Feb 24. 2016.