Annotated List of Works Consulted

Primary Sources
Docherty, George MacPherson, Dr. Under God. New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, 7
Feb. 1954, Washington D.C. Lecture. In this speech Rev. Docherty brings forth the idea
that there was something missing from the Pledge of Allegiance. He states that the way
the pledge is written that it could be the pledge of any republic. He goes on to examine
the exact words of the pledge by stating that Russia claims to be indivisible and claims to
have liberty as well as the be democratic. He goes on to state that there is one
fundamental concept that separates Communist Russia from our country and that is that
we are one nation under God. The words under God, Rev. Docherty states simply
remind the people of the basis upon which the Nation won its freedom in its Declaration
of Independence. He also goes on to state that to omit the two words Under God is to
omit the definitive character of the American Way of Life.
Eisenhower, Dwight D. Statement by the President Upon Signing Bill to Include the Words
Under God in the Pledge to the Flag. 14 June 1954. The American Presidency Project,
www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=9920. Accessed 20 Sept. 2016. Speech. On June 14,
1954 President Eisenhower officially signed a bill into law, Public Law 396, 83rd
Congress, that officially added the words Under God to the Pledge of Allegiance. In
his remarks Eisenhower states, From this day forward, the millions of our school
children will daily proclaim in every city and town, every village and rural school house,
the dedication of our nation and our people to the Almighty. He goes on to state, In this
way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religions faith in Americas heritage and

future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever
will be our countrys most powerful resource, in peace or in war.
Gibb, Tom. How the Pledge got God. Post-Gazette [Alexandria], 28 June 2002. PostGazzette.com, old.post-gazette.com/nation/20020628undergod0628p3.asp. Accessed 27
Oct. 2016. Tom Gibb interviews Rev. George Macpherson Docherty at the age of 91 to
discuss his role in influencing President Eisenhower to consider adding two words to the
Pledge of Allegiance. He proposed inserting the phrase under God in the Pledge of
Allegiance to President Eisenhower in February 1954 during a sermon in which the
President was attending.
Staff, New York Times. Congress Proposals Hit by Unitarians. New York Times [New York], 22
May 1954, p. 29. ProQuest Historical Newspapers,
hn.bigchalk.com/hnweb/hn/do/document?set=search&start=1&rendition=x-articleimage&inmylist=false&urn=urn%3Aproquest%3AUS%3BPQDOC%3BHNP%3BPQD
%3BHNP%3BPROD%3Bx-article-image%3B84122309&mylisturn=urn%3Aproquest
%3AUS%3BPQDOC%3BHNP%3BPQD%3BHNP%3BPROD%3Bx-citation
%3B84122309. Accessed 10 Oct. 2016. The American Unitarian Association went on
record as being opposed to adding the words under God to the pledge. The ministers
said that it was an invasion of religious liberty. Additionally, they condemned the practice
of In god we trust being printed on money. They asserted it to sponsoring religious
propaganda.
United States, Congress, Senate. Pledge of Allegance to the Flag. Testimony of Homer Ferguson,
Government Printing Office, 1954, pp. 1600-01. 83rd Congress. In this Congressional
Record from February 10, 1954, Mr. Ferguson asks the U.S. Senate to consider inserting

the words under God into the Pledge of Allegiance. He asserts that the addition of the
two words will help to distinguish the difference between American and that of other
communist countries because of the belief on God.
U.S. Currency. U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing, U.S. Departmenr of the Treasury,
www.bep.gov/uscurrency/1note.html. Accessed 8 Nov. 2016. This site provides
information on U.S. currency including images of the dollar bill and coins.

Secondary Sources
Barton, David. President Eisenhowers One Nation Under God. WallBuilders, Texas Limited
Liability Corporation, 6 Feb. 2012, www.wallbuilders.com/downloads/under-godsermon.pdf. David Barton presents information around how the two words, under God
came to be added to the Pledge of Allegiance. Barton makes note of the sermon that was
preached before President Dwight D. Eisenhower on February 7th by the Rev. George M.
Docherty. Barton points out that it was this speech that impacted Eisenhower so
profoundly that the following day US Representative Charles Oakman introduced a joint
resolution and then two days later Senator Homer Ferguson also introduced a joint
resolution in the senate, both to add under God to the pledge. The sermon made the
delineation that the only difference between Communists and Americans was the belief in
God.
Berger, Matthew C. One Nation Indivisible: How Congresss Addition of under God to the
Pledge of Allegiance Offends the Original Intent of the Establishment Clause.
Univeristy of St. Thoma Law Journal, vol. 3, no. 3, Spring 2006,
ir.stthomas.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1100&context=ustlj&sei-

redir=1&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bing.com%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dprimary
%2Bresources%2Bto%2Bsupport%2Beisenhower%27s%2Baddition%2Bof%2Bunder
%2Bgod%2Bto%2Bthe%2Bpledge%2Bof%2Ballegiance%26src%3DIE-TopResult
%26FORM%3DIETR02%26conversationid%3D#search=%22primary%20resources
%20support%20eisenhowers%20addition%20under%20god%20pledge%20allegiance
%22. This piece examines how the words under God violate the First Amendment. The
article states that by adding the words under God to the Pledge of Allegiance that the
Congress does in fact recognize that America is a religious nation. The article points out
that the Congress cited several examples of religious references in our countrys past
history to include the 1620 Mayflower Compact, the 1776 Declaration of Independence,
President Lincolns 1863 Gettysburg Address and the 1864 inscription of In God We
Trust on US coins. The article argues that the words under God violate the First
Amendment which states that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment
of religion.
Broadway, Bill. How Under God Got in There. The Washington Post, 6 July 2002.
Washington Post, www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2002/07/06/how-under-godgot-in-there/2a0fca85-524e-4063-8a58-4c31db084932/. Accessed 20 Sept. 2016. Author
Bill Broadway looks at how the words Under God made there way into the Pledge of
Allegiance. He notes that the Knights of Columbus, a fraternal Catholic organization,
began the movement to have the words added but that it was the sermons of Rev. George
M. Docherty that was the true catalyst for getting the words added. He points out that
Docherty got the idea for preaching his under God sermon from his 7 year old son
Garth. A conversation with Docherty and his son led to Docherty asking his son what he

did in school. With no immediate answer, Docherty pushed his son who replied to his
question of what did you do in school today with said the Pledge of Allegiance. After
Garth recited the pledge, Docherty had his sermon. Docherty first recited his sermon on
May 3, 1952 and while the audience seemed to endorse his proposal, others declared it
would violate the principle of separation of church and state. On February 7, 1954,
Docherty had an opportunity to preach the sermon again during his annual Lincoln
Sunday celebration, but this time President Eisenhower was present for the sermon.
After the service, Dochertys vision for the addition of under God became a reality.
Docherty believes that it was Eisenhower who set the machinery in motion for the next
day on February 8th a House bill was introduced to add the words under God and on
February 10th a companion bill was introduced in the senate. A bill officially adding
under God to the Pledge of Allegiance was signed into law by President Eisenhower on
Flag Day, June 14, 1954.
Foley, Peter. President Obama reciting the pledge at a West Point graduation in 2014. 29 May
2014. NPR, www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2014/05/29/316681245/more-diplomacyfewer-military-missions-5-obama-statements-explained. Accessed 8 Nov. 2016. This is a
picture of President Obama reciting the Pledge of Allegiance at a West Point graduation
in May of 2014.
NCC Staff. The History of Legal Challenges to the Pledge of Allegiance. Constitution Daily,
National Constitution Center, 14 June 2016, blog.constitutioncenter.org/2016/06/thelatest-controversy-about-under-god-in-the-pledge-of-allegiance/. Accessed 7 Nov. 2016.
The post speaks to some of the challenges to the Pledge of Allegiance including the 2004
Supreme Court case of Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdown in which the

Supreme Court didnt rule on the legality of the words under God but instead said
Newdown didnt have standing because he lacked sufficient custody over his daughter.
The blog also spoke to two legal challenges to state constitutions for guidance about the
use of the words under God.
One Nation Under God. freethoughtpedia,
freethoughtpedia.com/wiki/One_Nation_Under_God. Accessed 8 Nov. 2016. This site
provided an image of the timeline of the Pledge of Allegiance from 1892 to present.
The Pledge of Allegiance. USHistory.org, Independence Hall Association, 4 July 1995,
www.ushistory.org/documents/pledge.htm. Accessed 13 Sept. 2016. This document
provides a brief history of the Pledge of the Allegiance from the time it was written in
1892 by Francis Bellamy. In 1923, the words the Flag of the United States of America
were added. In 1954, President Eisenhower encouraged Congress to add the words
under God.
The Pledge of Allegiance. YouTube, uploaded by Doug Hathaway, 10 Feb. 2011,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCEuMDE9qAU#. Accessed 8 Nov. 2016. This video has
John Wayne reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
The Pledge of Allegiance Cases. The Beckett Fund for Religious Liberty,
www.becketfund.org/the-pledge-of-allegiance-cases-2000-current/. Accessed 7 Nov.
2016. This site works to provide information on the defense of the words one nation
under God in the Pledge of Allegiance. The page provides a historical look at court cases
that have focused on the words under God. Additionally, the page provides information
on the background of the words as used in United States history prior to 1954 citing the

use of the words in The Declaration of Independence, Lincolns Gettysburg Address, and
Washingtons General order to his troops in 1776.
Supreme Court Decisions: Decisions Involving the Pledge of Allegiance. ProCon.org, 24 Oct.
2008, undergod.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000080. Accessed 7 Nov.
2016. This site provides the case, date, case summary and the significance of the case for
seven cases adjudicated by the United States Supreme Court since the words under
God were added to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954.
Under God in the Pledge. ProCon.org, 5 Sept. 2013, undergod.procon.org/view.timeline.php?
timelineID=000029&print=true. Accessed 20 Sept. 2016. This site gives a listing of the
history of the Pledge of Allegiance and the phrase Under God. The site speaks to the
1953 house and senate bills introduced bin the House by Representative Louis Rabaut
(Democrat from Michigan) and in the Senate by Senator Homer Ferguson (Republican
from Michigan). On May 11, 1954, the Library of Congress made a recommendation
concerning the pledge with three variations of the under God phrase. These variations
includes One Nation under God, One Nation, under God, and One Nation
indivisible under God. Congress accepted One Nation under God. The site also speaks
to the number of court cases that addresses the words under God including the US
Supreme Court of Abington v Schempp that ruled that reciting the pledge is not
considered a religious exercise. Additionally, the US Supreme Court Case of Marsh v.
Chambers which ruled that under God does not violate the establishment clause.
Additionally, the site references the March 11, 2010 decision from the Ninth US Circuit
Court of Appeals that the routine of millions of children reciting the pledge of allegiance

is not a violation of the Constitution, but a historical reflection of the Founding Fathers
beliefs that serve to unite our vast nation.