In God We Trust
[*]
Over recent years there has been strident opposition to displays acknowledging God.[1] The opposition stems largely from a 1971 Supreme Court decision that produced what is known as The Lemon Test.[2]
Under this test, a public religious acknowledgment is constitutional only if its primary purpose is secular. Of course, on its face, this is oxymoronic, for nearly no religious expression can meet the standard of being primarily secular. This is why, over the past 50 years, more than 5,000 previously acceptable public acknowledgments of God or religion have been deemed unconstitutional.[3]
The History and Tradition of Official Public Acknowledgments of God
The secularization of the American public square gradually grew so extreme that in May 2022, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, perhaps the most Progressive justice on the Court at that time, penned a unanimous 9-0 decision going against the Lemon Test and upholding the right for a Christian flag to be flown at Boston City Hall.[4] In that decision, fellow justice Neil Gorsuch acknowledged that the Lemon Test was the result of “a ‘bygone era’ when this Court took a more freewheeling approach to interpreting legal texts.”[5] Thus, in a separate decision the following month (June 2022), the Court officially vacated The Lemon Test and replaced it with the “History and Tradition Test.”[6]
The Court had laid the groundwork for this return to history in 2019 when it explained that “retaining established, religiously expressive monuments, symbols, and practices…. gives rise to a strong presumption of constitutionality.”[7] So today, if something with religious associations or of religious character can be shown to be historical and traditional, it now carries a “strong presumption of constitutionality.”
So, what is the history and tradition of official public acknowledgments of God?
1776: God in the Declaration of Independence
Let’s start with 1776: our national birth certificate, the Declaration of Independence. Of course, this document and the political philosophy it introduced is what the nation is celebrating for the entire year of the 250th anniversary of that document.
The Declaration’s opening 126 words set forth the philosophy of American government in five succinct points. Significantly, four of those five points focus on God: 1. There is a God; 2. God establishes moral right and wrongs; 3. God is the source of the inalienable rights of every individual; and 4. Government exists first and foremost to protect our God-given rights. This is the official philosophy around which our Founding Fathers rallied, and on which this nation was built.
Early Mottoes and Founding-Era Acknowledgments
On the same day the Declaration of Independence was approved, Benjamin Franklin proposed in Congress America’s first national motto.[8] It was “Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God.” Thomas Jefferson then made that God-centered phrase the motto of the state of Virginia during his governorship in the War for Independence.[9] He also carried it with him to the White House when he became president.[10]
By the way, before the American War for Independence, Ben Franklin was involved in the French and Indian wars. At that time, he raised a volunteer militia, one of whose companies made its motto “In God We Trust.”[11]
When George Washington became president, one of Congress’ first tasks was to create a Bill of Rights for the nation. The result was the first Ten Amendments to the Constitution, which protect the individual and civil liberties of all Americans.
Washington, Adams, and the Duty of Nations to Acknowledge God
When President Washington was notified the Bill of Rights was completed, on that very day he issued a national call for a day of prayer and thanksgiving. Why? He told the nation that:
It is the duty of all nations [that is, of political bodies] 1. to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, 2. to obey His will, 3. to be grateful for His benefits, and 4. humbly to implore His protection and favor.[12] [emphasis added]
George Washington said it was the duty of governing political bodies to acknowledge God. President John Adams agreed. He reminded the nation:
The safety and prosperity of nations ultimately and essentially depend on the protection and the blessing of Almighty God, and the national acknowledgment of this truth is…an indispensable duty which the people owe to Him.[13]
Clearly, those who created our Constitution considered public acknowledgments of God to be an official duty of government.
From the Star-Spangled Banner to Civil War Coinage
In the War of 1812, a young attorney, Francis Scott Key, witnessed the Battle of Fort McHenry. He penned a literary description of that battle, which he called “The Defense of Fort McHenry.”[14] That title was later changed to “The Star-Spangled Banner,”[15] and its closing stanza affirmed what Americans strongly believed:
Blest with vict’ry and peace, may the Heav’n-rescued land
Praise the Pow’r that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto –“In God is our trust.”[16]
Over following years, America got off track with the expansion and growth of slavery. The country became divided between those who supported slavery and those who opposed it. As the polarization and violence increased, Abraham Lincoln sought to heal the growing divide, urging Americans to remember the fundamental God-centered truths in the Declaration of Independence.[17]
Then during the Civil War, Lincoln lamented “we have forgotten God.”[18] He therefore issued a national call urging Americans to come back to the God-consciousness and God-dependency that had been part of our public life for so many previous generations.[19]
During the Civil War is when “In God We Trust” was first added to our national coinage. As explained by Secretary of the Treasury Salmon Chase:
No nation can be strong except in the strength of God, or safe except in His defense. The trust of our people in God should be declared on our national coins.[20]
Under President Ulysses S. Grant, “In God We Trust” was added to American peace medals and trade coins,[21] thus further expanding public acknowledgments of God outward into other realms of public affairs.
Mid-20th Century: National Anthem, Official Motto, and the Pledge
In 1931, Congress made the Star-Spangled Banner the official National Anthem, thus incorporating the line “this be our motto, ‘In God is our trust!’” directly into federal law.[22]
By 1938, “In God We Trust” appeared on all our coinage.[23]
In the 1950s, as nations across the world were becoming overtly and even militantly secularist, America chose to set forth an opposite model. President Harry Truman signed a federal law establishing an annual “National Day of Prayer,” urging Americans to stop and seek God.[24]
His successor, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, expressed his concern that in America “we were getting too secular.” He therefore added many other public religious acknowledgments, including:
- Establishing an annual official National Prayer Breakfast to gather world leaders to Washington to pray.[26]
- A federal law making “In God We Trust” the official motto of the nation,[27] even though it had been the unofficial motto for several generations previous.
- A federal law that expanded the use of “In God We Trust” to include paper currency, not just coinage.[28]
- A federal law adding “Under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance.[29]
In signing the Pledge law, President Eisenhower proudly announced:
From this day forward, the millions of our school children will daily proclaim in every city and town, every village and rural schoolhouse, the dedication of our nation and our people to the Almighty….[I]n 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.[30]
Given this history (including much more not covered here), it is hard to imagine how displaying the national motto in public buildings has become controversial.
Congressional Response to Secularization
Historically, the current hostility to expressing our religious heritage and traditions in public was officially introduced in June 1962, when the US Supreme Court, for the first time in history, disallowed traditional religious expressions and practices in public settings,[31] thus beginning the war on faith that has continued over recent decades.
Following that Court decision, in December 1962, the US House boldly engraved “In God We Trust” in gold letters over the Speaker’s Rostrum in the US House Chamber.[32] Missouri Democrat Congressman William Randall acknowledged that the action was “a not-so-subtle way…[to] answer to the recent decision of the US Supreme Court order banning…prayer from the New York State schools.”[33] He further explained
We sincerely believe the House, by its historic action today calling for this inscription to be placed constantly before the eyes of every Member, emphasized anew that we are a not only a God-fearing people but that we all realize that only by faith and trust in God can there be any hope for the solution of what seems to be the endless problems facing Congress in world affairs and within our country. The House, in providing for the inscription, put our great national motto in the most prominent place in the greatest legislative hall in the world. By this we speak out to the entire world that we are not an atheistic country or a Godless nation. [34]
Minnesota Democrat Congressman Fred Marshall rejoiced that people who “visit our Chamber…will all be reminded of our great reliance upon Almighty God and will thrill to the words of our motto.” He also pointed out that “We Members…will constantly be reminded of the faith of our fathers who formed our great Republic and who asked God’s Divine blessing on those actions.”[35]
In January 1963, John F. Kennedy became the first president to deliver his annual address with the golden inscribed words “In God We Trust” clearly visible above him.[36] Every president since has delivered the nation’s State of the Union Address standing directly under “In God We Trust.”
(Today, thankfully the Court’s former overt religious hostility has finally been reversed by the Supreme Court’s 2022“History and Tradition Test.” The Court now holds that where there is an “original meaning and history” to support religious actions,
Upholding History, Tradition, and the Foundations of Government
Public displays of “In God We Trust” are the simple but profound acknowledgement of what every previous generation of American leaders officially recognized: that God and His standards and principles are not only invaluable but are an essential element of American constitutional government.
It is worthwhile to hearken back to a passage from what is considered the most significant political address in American history: President George Washington’s “Farewell Address”—his final official advice to the nation. For 45 years his public service had been essential to America becoming an independent nation and a world leader. On his retirement, he offered fatherly advice to the nation which he loved, and for which he had sacrificed so much.
In these last words, not only did he provide a litmus test for determining true American patriotism, but he also identified the two things that would cause our government and our nation to prosper. He said:
Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness.[38]
George Washington measured patriotism by whether or not there was open support for religion and morality, which were the two elements that made America’s culture prosper.
The display of our national motto in its various forms is simply upholding the path of religious “history and tradition” regarding the most important and indispensable foundations of our government.
[*] This was a public address delivered on January 12, 2026, by David Barton at the dedication of the “In God We Trust” inscription added to the exterior of Cleveland Country Courthouse in Norman, Oklahoma, as well as to its various courtrooms inside.
Endnotes
[1] See, for example, “Oklahoma House approves bill that would require ‘In God We Trust’ display in state buildings,” March 2, 2021, KOCO News, https://www.koco.com/article/oklahoma-house-approves-bill-that-would-require-in-god-we-trust-display-in-state-buildings/35694319; “Measure Placing National Motto on Public Building passes Oklahoma House of Representatives,” March 2, 2021, CapitolBeatOK, https://www.capitolbeatok.com/reports/measure-placing-national-motto-on-public-buildings-passes-oklahoma-house-of-representatives/.
[2] Lemon v. Kurtzman, 403 U.S. 602 (1971).
[3] See examples in David Barton, Original Intent (Aledo, TX: WallBuilder Press, 2025), chapter 9.
[4] Shurtleff v. City of Boston, 596 U.S. ___ (2022).
[5] Shurtleff v. City of Boston, 596 U.S. ___ (2022), Neil Gorsuch concurring opinion.
[6] Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, 597 U.S. ___ (2022).
[7] American Legion v American Humanist Association, 588 U.S. ___ (2019).
[8] “Franklin’s Proposal,” August 20, 1776, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-01-02-0206-0001.
[9] “Virginia “Happy While United” Indian Peace Medal,” 1780, Colonial Williamsburg, https://emuseum.colonialwilliamsburg.org/objects/90494/virginia-happy-while-united-indian-peace-medal; Dumas Malone, Jefferson the Virginian (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1948), 156, 226, 242.
[10] “Personal Seal,” October 4, 2007, Monticello, https://www.monticello.org/encyclopedia/personal-seal; Dumas Malone, Jefferson the Virginian (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1948), 156, 226, 242.
[11] “Colors of the Associator Companies,” January 12 & April 16, 1748, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Franklin/01-03-02-0105.
[12] George Washington, Proclamation for a Day of Thanksgiving, issued October 3, 1789, printed in The Providence Gazette and Country Journal (October 17, 1789), from the WallBuilders Collection, https://wallbuilders.com/resource/proclamation-thanksgiving-day-1789/.
[13] John Adams, Proclamation for a Day of Fasting, issued March 23, 1798, The American Presidency Project, https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/203279.
[14] “Defence of Fort McHenry,” 1814, Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/resource/music.musihas-100010457/.
[15] “The Star-Spangled Banner: The Lyrics,” Smithsonian, accessed April 30, 2026, https://amhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner/the-lyrics.aspx.
[16] “Defence of Fort McHenry,” 1814, Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/resource/music.musihas-100010457/.
[17] “Let me entreat you to come back…come back to the truths that are in the Declaration of Independence:” Abraham Lincoln, “Back to the Declaration: Speech at Lewiston, Illinois,” August 17, 1858, The Works of Abraham Lincoln: Speeches and Debates, ed. John H. Clifford (New York: The University Society Inc., 1908), 3:126-127.
[18] Abraham Lincoln, Proclamation for a Day of Fasting, issued March 30, 1863, The American Presidency Project, https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/203143; see that proclamation in the WallBuilders Collection, https://wallbuilders.com/resource/proclamation-fasting-humiliation-and-prayer-1863/.
[19] Abraham Lincoln, Proclamation for a Day of Fasting, issued March 30, 1863, The American Presidency Project, https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/203143; see that proclamation in the WallBuilders Collection, https://wallbuilders.com/resource/proclamation-fasting-humiliation-and-prayer-1863/.
[20] Salmon P. Chase to James Pollock, November 20, 1861, Thirty-Fourth Annual Report of the Director of the Mint to the Secretary of the Treasury (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1897), 107.
[21] The motto appeared on Trade Dollars authorized by the Coinage Act of 1873 (signed February 12, 1873). See also U.S. Mint production of presidential/Indian peace medals (e.g., 1871 Grant Peace Medal examples).
[22] Act of March 3, 1931, Public Law 71-810, 46 Stat. 1508.
[23] The motto had first appeared on the two-cent piece in 1864 and was gradually added to other denominations. It was restored to gold and silver coins by the Act of May 18, 1908 (35 Stat. 164). The five-cent nickel was the final denomination to receive it, with the introduction of the Jefferson nickel in 1938.
[24] “Joint Resolution to provide for setting aside an appropriate day as a National Day of Prayer,” Public Law 324-April 17, 1952, https://www.congress.gov/82/statute/STATUTE-66/STATUTE-66-Pg64-3.pdf.
[25] Dwight D. Eisenhower, The White House Years. Mandate for Change: 1953-1956 (NY: Doubleday & Company, 1963), 100.
[26] Diane Winston, “The History of the National Prayer Breakfast,” February 2, 2017, Smithsonian Magazine, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/national-prayer-breakfast-what-does-its-history-reveal-180962017/.
[27] “Joint Resolution to Establish a National Motto of the United States,” July 30, 1956, https://uscode.house.gov/statviewer.htm?volume=70&page=732.
[28] Law passed on July 11, 1955, https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-69/pdf/STATUTE-69-Pg290-2.pdf.
[29] Act of June 14, 1954, Pub. L. No. 83-396, 68 Stat. 249 (H.J. Res. 243), https://www.congress.gov/bill/83rd-congress/house-joint-resolution/243/text.
[30] Dwight Eisenhower, “Statement by the President Upon Signing Bill To Include the Words “Under God” in the Pledge to the Flag,” June 14, 1954, The American Presidency Project, https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-the-president-upon-signing-bill-include-the-words-under-god-the-pledge-the-flag.
[31] Engel v. Vitale, 370 US 421 (1962). Other 1960s court cases addressing religion in public include: Abington School District v. Schempp, 374 US 203 (1963) and Murray v. Curlett, 228 Md. 239, 179 A.2d 698 (Md. 1962).
[32] “House Chamber: Furniture,” United States House of Representatives, accessed April 30, 2026, https://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/House-Chamber/Rostrum/.
[33] Congressional Record, 87th Cong., 2d Sess., vol. 108, at 21101–02 (Sept. 27, 1962).
[34] Congressional Record, 87th Cong., 2d Sess., vol. 108, at 21101–02 (Sept. 27, 1962).
[35] Congressional Record, 87th Cong., 2d Sess., vol. 108, at 22274 (October 4, 1962).
[36] “January 14, 1963: State of the Union Address,” The Miller Center, https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/presidential-speeches/january-14-1963-state-union-address.
[37] Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, 597 U.S. ___ (2022).
[38] Address of George Washington, President of the United states and Late Commander in Chief of the American Army to the People of the United States, Preparatory to His Declination (Baltimore: Christopher Jackson, 1796), 22-23.
In 1947 America’s military was combined under what became the Department of Defense (now called the Department of War).
It is fitting and proper that we devote one day each year to paying special tribute to those whose constancy and courage constitute one of the bulwarks guarding the freedom of this nation and the peace of the free world.
Armed Forces Day was set as the third Saturday of the month of May in 1961 with President Kennedy’s proclamation that encouraged Americans “as an expression of support for their armed forces and as a symbol of their unity in devotion to the preservation of our country, to display prominently the flag of the United States.”
