'One Nation Under God': The Story of How God Was Added to America's Pledge of Allegiance

Americans observed "Flag Day" on Sunday, June 14, marking the adoption of the official U.S. flag by the Continental Congress in 1777. That day is also special for another historic moment. On that day in 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation adding the words "One nation under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance.

The Pledge of Allegiance was written in August 1892 by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister and writer for a magazine called The Youth's Companion.

The first version of the Pledge stated: "I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

According to Smithsonian Magazine, it was part of a marketing campaign for that magazine as the country marked the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' arrival in the New World. But it quickly caught on across the country. In modern terms, you could say it "went viral."

Many American public school students initially recited the Pledge on Columbus Day, and then in 1923, "the United States of America" was added to the Pledge.

The American Legion reports the Pledge wasn't officially recognized by Congress until June 22, 1942, when it was formally included in the U.S. Flag Code.

Then, in 1954, as the U.S. was locked in the Cold War with the atheistic Soviet Union, President Eisenhower said it was crucial to acknowledge God in the Pledge.

He said, "In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America's heritage and future...We shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons, which forever will be our country's most powerful resource, in peace or in war."

FULL STATEMENT by President Eisenhower When Signing Bill to Include the Words "Under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance:

June 14, 1954

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. To anyone who truly loves America, nothing could be more inspiring than to contemplate this rededication of our youth, on each school morning, to our country's true meaning.

Especially is this meaningful as we regard today's world. Over the globe, mankind has been cruelly torn by violence and brutality and, by the millions, deadened in mind and soul by a materialistic philosophy of life. Man everywhere is appalled by the prospect of atomic war. In this somber setting, this law and its effects today have profound meaning. 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 or in war.

More from CBN News: On Flag Day, Remembering the Woman Who Sewed Old Glory into Existence 

2025: 'One Nation Under God': President Trump Honors Founding Moment, the Raising of the Cape Henry Cross

2020: EXCLUSIVE: Democratic Convention Meetings Omit 'Under God' from Pledge of Allegiance

2018: I Pledge Allegiance to Our 'Global Society': School Tries to Replace Pledge of Allegiance