‘One Nation, Under God?’ Thank the Knights of Columbus

“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

Reciting the Pledge of Allegiance was almost a thing just for children to do at the beginning of the school day for the 50 years prior to June 22, 1942, when Congress approved the pledge as part of the U.S. Flag Code (Title 36). A year later the Supreme Court ruled no child could be forced to recite the Pledge.

But it was on Flag Day, June 14, 1954, that President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation making the most recent, and probably most controversial, change to the Pledge. The President and Congress added the words, “under God” as part of the Pledge.

President Eisenhower said, “In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America’s heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country’s most powerful resource in peace and war.”

Where did “under God” come from? Why was it not there from the beginning? To my amazement, I found that we are indebted to the Knights of Columbus, the largest fraternal Catholic organization, for taking the lead in changing the Pledge.

It happened April 22, 1951, New York City, when the directors of the Knights of Columbus adopted a resolution changing the Pledge and urging Congress and the President to make it official. Three years later and even without emails and the Internet, the deed was done.

I never knew the Knights of Columbus had such wide and profound influence in the United States and especially impacting my little old daily life. Without a little prompting brought about by this column and a national holiday, I might have lived out the rest of my life never knowing where “under God” came from and certainly never thinking it might have come from my brothers of the Catholic variety. Those fellows have some solid thinking under their feathered and plumed hats.

So, as I salute the flag of the United States around this Fourth of July celebration without the slightest reservation in affirming we are a nation “under God,” I also commend the Knights of Columbus for giving leadership. May your numbers and influence grow to the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.