HJ0071 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0071 LRB098 13670 GRL 53328 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, On February 10, 1954, Senator Homer Ferguson of Michigan introduced a bill in the United States Congress to amend the Pledge of Allegiance by adding the words "under God" to the text of the pledge; and

WHEREAS, February 10, 1954 was chosen as the date to introduce the bill by Senator Ferguson to recognize the five-year anniversary of the imprisonment of Cardinal Joseph Mindszenty of Hungary, who was imprisoned and tortured by Communists for his sermons exposing the goal of communism to eradicate all religion; and

WHEREAS, Speeches were delivered in Congress by members of both political parties honoring Cardinal Mindszenty and emphasizing the threat posed to America by communism; and

WHEREAS, Upon introduction of the bill, Senator Ferguson commented, "I believe this modification of the pledge is important because it highlights one of the real fundamental differences between the free world and the Communist world, namely, belief in God"; he continued with, "Our nation is founded on a fundamental belief in God, and the first and most important reason for the existence of our government is to protect the God-given rights of our citizens. Spiritual values are every bit as important to the defense and safety of our nation as are military and economic values."; and

WHEREAS, The vote to add "under God" to the United States Pledge of Allegiance was a unanimous vote; and

WHEREAS, On February 7, 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower became convinced that adding the words "under God" to the United States Pledge of Allegiance would be the right thing to do after hearing Reverend George Docherty preach that the phrase "nation under God" was first used in the Gettysburg Address and that the words were appropriate to be added to the United States Pledge of Allegiance because freedom "is defined by a fundamental belief in God"; and

WHEREAS, The first time the United States Pledge of Allegiance was recited was on Flag Day, June 14, 1954; and

WHEREAS, It is the policy of the members of the General Assembly to recognize and honor such an important date, which strengthens the ties of history that bind us to our Christian heritage; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we recognize February 10, 1954 as the anniversary of the addition of the words "under God" to the United States Pledge of Allegiance; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the members of this body are urged to reflect upon the importance of the words "under God" each time it is recited within the chambers.