June 14, 1954: America Becomes A Nation ‘Under God

thisdayofhistory.com ^ | 6/13/2025

[Recovering_Democrat]

On June 14, 1954, the United States of America officially became a nation “under God” When President Dwight Eisenhower signed a bill to insert the phrase into the Pledge of Allegiance. First designed in 1892, the pledge originally avoided referencing religion...

...In 1953, Louis Rabaut, a Democrat from Michigan sponsored a resolution to add the words “under God” to the Pledge. It failed. But by then, the decision was up to President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Recently baptized as a Presbyterian, he heard a sermon, arguing the words “under God”...set the United States apart from others as a nation...

... the president encouraged Charles Oakman, a Republican from Michigan, to re-introduce the “under God” bill and Congress sent it to his desk. The president signed it into law on June 14, 1954.

[Recovering_Democrat]

71 years ago today. Donald Trump was celebrating his eighth birthday.

[ckilmer]

that action turned out to be a rear guard action in a losing war that’s been going on for 70 years.

We can only hope that the tide has turned. but even if it has—the flood is already over half the country. There’s more than half a century worth of ruin to undo and repair.

[No name given]

Indeed.

[Leaning Right]

> President Dwight Eisenhower signed a bill to insert the phrase into the Pledge of Allegiance <

Thanks for posting this.

What a remarkable person Eisenhower was! During WW2 he was exactly the right person to hold the western alliance together. And that wasn’t so easy, given that he had to deal with two huge egotists, Montgomery and Patton.

Then came his presidency. Democrat leaders in the South resisted integration. Ike didn’t hesitate. He sent in US Marshals and the 101st Airborne.

But of course Ike was a Republican. So the mainstream media gives him no credit.

[dfwgator]

Ike was the Greatest American of the 20th Century.

[Fiji Hill]

The monthly meetings of We, the People Orange County (Calif.) begin with an invocation followed by the Flag Salute, which concludes with “...with liberty and justice for all, born and unborn.” Maybe “born and unborn” will one day become an official part of the Pledge.

[SuperLuminal]

71 years ago today, I was in my 3rd year in the Marine Corps (51-57)...

[Bratch]

Because less than a decade later, the Star Chamber Supreme Court decided prayer in public schools violated the Constitution. 🙄

[TBP]

On this date:

The US Army was born 1775
The /stars and Stripes was adopted as our national flag 1777
“Under God” was added to the Pledge of Allegiance 1954

[foreverfree]

Godly bump

[Governor Dinwiddie]

And of course Ike's farewell address was his masterpiece, warning us of
the Deep State, the proof of which was demonstrated in Dallas four years later.

[Secret Agent Man]

We didnt “become” one then

We just finally formally acknowledged it in the Pledge

[BDParrish]

The addition of that two word phrase obscures the point of the pledge.
The original idea was to condition our people against the philosophy of secession and state rights.
One nation indivisible. It should be said with no pause or break after the word nation, meaning one indivisible nation

I have modernized and adapted the pledge for modern times:
I pledge allegiance to the flag
Of the United State of America,
And to the concept of Democracy,
With which it is associated,
One power,
With liberty and justice for all
Members of protected classes.

[Verginius Rufus]

I think it's in Art Linkletter's Kids Say the Darndest Things the following explanation for the addition. Kids would misunderstand the phrase "one nation indivisible" as "one naked individual." Notice that the addition was inserted after "nation" and before "indivisible."