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1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, On February 10, 1954, Senator Homer Ferguson of
3Michigan introduced a bill in the United States Congress to
4amend the Pledge of Allegiance by adding the words "under God"
5to the text of the pledge; and
 
6    WHEREAS, February 10, 1954 was chosen as the date to
7introduce the bill by Senator Ferguson to recognize the
8five-year anniversary of the imprisonment of Cardinal Joseph
9Mindszenty of Hungary, who was imprisoned and tortured by
10Communists for his sermons exposing the goal of communism to
11eradicate all religion; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Speeches were delivered in Congress by members of
13both political parties honoring Cardinal Mindszenty and
14emphasizing the threat posed to America by communism; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Upon introduction of the bill, Senator Ferguson
16commented, "I believe this modification of the pledge is
17important because it highlights one of the real fundamental
18differences between the free world and the Communist world,
19namely, belief in God"; he continued with, "Our nation is
20founded on a fundamental belief in God, and the first and most
21important reason for the existence of our government is to
22protect the God-given rights of our citizens. Spiritual values

 

 

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1are every bit as important to the defense and safety of our
2nation as are military and economic values."; and
 
3    WHEREAS, The vote to add "under God" to the United States
4Pledge of Allegiance was a unanimous vote; and
 
5    WHEREAS, On February 7, 1954, President Dwight D.
6Eisenhower became convinced that adding the words "under God"
7to the United States Pledge of Allegiance would be the right
8thing to do after hearing Reverend George Docherty preach that
9the phrase "nation under God" was first used in the Gettysburg
10Address and that the words were appropriate to be added to the
11United States Pledge of Allegiance because freedom "is defined
12by a fundamental belief in God"; and
 
13    WHEREAS, The first time the United States Pledge of
14Allegiance was recited was on Flag Day, June 14, 1954; and
 
15    WHEREAS, It is the policy of the members of the General
16Assembly to recognize and honor such an important date, which
17strengthens the ties of history that bind us to our Christian
18heritage; therefore, be it
 
19    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
20NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
21SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we recognize February 10, 1954

 

 

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1as the anniversary of the addition of the words "under God" to
2the United States Pledge of Allegiance; and be it further
 
3    RESOLVED, That the members of this body are urged to
4reflect upon the importance of the words "under God" each time
5it is recited within the chambers.