Wednesday, March 24, 2004
"Under God" relatively new term
A merica's highest court will be urged today to order the removal of the words "under God" from the pledge of allegiance, a move that could spark an ugly battle over the role of patriotism, religion and tradition in advance of the presidential election.
The challenge, which has been brought by a single father, has infuriated the whole of the United States Senate, President George Bush and the district court for eastern California.
But Michael Newdow has defied the criticism and will argue today that the phrase "one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all," recited by American schoolchildren across the country, violates the separation of church and state.
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The pledge of allegiance was first written - without the phrase "under God" - in 1892 in Boston, and recited by schoolchildren, a tradition that continues today.
The pledge was endorsed by Congress in 1942, just after the US joined the second world war.
In 1954, at the height of McCarthyism, "under God" was added to distinguish the "inalienable" rights of US democracy from those of communist states, where rights were conferred on citizens.
I'll do the math for you. "Under God" was not part of the pledge for 62 years, and has only been in the pledge for 50 years.
posted by chris at 12:53 PM
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