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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, "In God We Trust" is the official motto of the
3United States of America; and
 
4    WHEREAS, The phrase appears to have originated in "The
5Star-Spangled Banner", written during the War of 1812; during
6the American Civil War, the 125th Pennsylvania Infantry for the
7Union Army assumed the motto as a battle cry on September 17,
81862 during the Battle of Antietam; the motto first appeared on
9U.S. coins in 1864; and
 
10    WHEREAS, In 1956, the United States and the Soviet Union
11were in the midst of the Cold War and the U.S. wished to
12distinguish itself from the Soviet Union, who promoted state
13atheism; the 84th Congress passed a joint resolution declaring
14"In God We Trust" as the national motto of the country, which
15was signed into law by President Eisenhower on July 30, 1956;
16and
 
17    WHEREAS, Following the September 11, 2011 terrorist
18attacks, many public schools across the United States posted
19"In God We Trust" framed posters in their libraries,
20cafeterias, and classrooms; and
 
21    WHEREAS, In 2006, on the 50th anniversary of its adoption,

 

 

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1the United States Senate reaffirmed "In God We Trust" as the
2official national motto of the country; in 2011, the U.S. House
3of Representatives passed a similar resolution; and
 
4    WHEREAS, The phrase has been incorporated into many hymns
5and religious and patriotic songs, and continues to be used in
6countless areas of American life; therefore, be it
 
7    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL
8ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we reaffirm that the
9national motto of the United States of America is, and should
10continue to be, "In God We Trust" and we encourage its use by
11the citizens of the State of Illinois.