House Resolution 109 - Introduced HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 109 BY HEARTSILL , SALMON , GASSMAN , WINDSCHITL , JORGENSEN , SHAW , R. TAYLOR , WATTS , GUSTAFSON , ALONS , RIDING , OURTH , ROGERS , KOESTER , DOLECHECK , BRANDENBURG , BACON , COSTELLO , SHEETS , FISHER , FRY , THEDE , LOFGREN , DAWSON , HAGENOW , DUNKEL , BERRY , ABDUL-SAMAD , GAINES , MAXWELL , KLEIN , PETTENGILL , GRASSLEY , SODERBERG , FORBES , SANDS , HEATON , SCHULTZ , LANDON , RAYHONS , DRAKE , and MUHLBAUER A Resolution recognizing February 10, 2014, as the 1 60th anniversary of the introduction of federal 2 legislation to add the words, “under God,” to the 3 United States Pledge of Allegiance. 4 WHEREAS, the Pledge of Allegiance of the United 5 States is an expression of loyalty to the federal flag 6 and the republic of the United States of America, 7 originally composed by Francis Bellamy in 1892 and 8 formally adopted by the United States Congress as the 9 pledge in 1942; and 10 WHEREAS, on February 7, 1954, President Dwight D. 11 Eisenhower became convinced that adding the words, 12 “under God,” to the United States Pledge of Allegiance 13 would be the right thing to do after hearing Reverend 14 George Docherty preach that the phrase, “nation 15 under God,” first used in the Gettysburg Address, was 16 appropriate to be added to the United States Pledge of 17 Allegiance because freedom “is defined by a fundamental 18 belief in God”; and 19 WHEREAS, in February 1954, Senator Homer Ferguson 20 and Representative Charles Oakman of Michigan 21 -1- LSB 5220YH (4) 85 jr/nh 1/ 2

H.R. 109 introduced bills in the United States Congress to amend 1 the Pledge of Allegiance by adding the words, “under 2 God,” to the text of the pledge; and 3 WHEREAS, February 10, 1954, was chosen as the date 4 to introduce the bill by Senator Ferguson because it 5 was the five-year anniversary of the imprisonment 6 of Cardinal Joseph Mindszenty of Hungary, who was 7 imprisoned and tortured by communists for his sermons 8 exposing the goal of communism to eradicate all 9 religion; and 10 WHEREAS, speeches were delivered in the United 11 States Congress by members of both political parties, 12 honoring Cardinal Mindszenty and emphasizing the threat 13 posed to America by communism; and 14 WHEREAS, the vote to add “under God” to the United 15 States Pledge of Allegiance was a unanimous vote; and 16 WHEREAS, the bill adding the language was signed 17 into law by President Eisenhower on Flag Day, June 14, 18 1954; NOW THEREFORE, 19 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 20 That the House of Representatives recognizes February 21 10, 2014, as the 60th anniversary of the addition of 22 the words, “under God,” to the United States Pledge of 23 Allegiance. 24 -2- LSB 5220YH (4) 85 jr/nh 2/ 2