[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 96 Referred in House (RFH)]
109th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. CON. RES. 96
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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 13, 2006
Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
To commemorate, celebrate, and reaffirm the national motto of the
United States on the 50th anniversary of its formal adoption.
Whereas the phrase ``In God We Trust'' is the national motto of the United
States;
Whereas from the colonial beginnings of the United States, citizens of the
Nation have officially acknowledged their dependence on God;
Whereas in 1694, the phrase ``God Preserve Our Carolina and the Lords
Proprietors'' was engraved on the Carolina cent and the phrase ``God
Preserve Our New England'' was inscribed on coins that were minted in
New England during that year;
Whereas while declaring the independence of the United States from Great
Britain, the Founding Fathers of the Nation asserted: ``We hold these
Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are
endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among
these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.'';
Whereas those signers of the Declaration of Independence further declared: ``And
for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the
protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our
Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.'';
Whereas in 1782, one of the great leaders of the United States, Thomas
Jefferson, wrote: ``[C]an the liberties of a nation be thought secure
when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of
the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not
to be violated but with His wrath?'';
Whereas the distinguished founding statesman, Benjamin Franklin, when speaking
in 1787 at the Constitutional Convention, declared: ``Our prayers, Sir,
were heard, and they were graciously answered. All of us who were
engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a
Superintending providence in our favor. To that kind providence we owe
this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of
establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten
that powerful friend? or do we imagine that we no longer need His
assistance. I have lived, Sir, a long time and the longer I live, the
more convincing proofs I see of this truth--that God governs in the
affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his
notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have
been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings that `except the Lord build
they labor in vain that build it.' I firmly believe this; and I also
believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this
political building no better than the Builders of Babel. . . .'';
Whereas the national hero and first President, George Washington, proclaimed in
his first inaugural address in 1789: ``[I]t would be peculiarly improper
to omit in this first official act my fervent supplications to that
Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils
of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect,
that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and the happiness
of the people of the United States a government instituted by themselves
for these essential purposes, and may enable every instrument employed
in its administration to execute with success the functions allotted to
his charge.'';
Whereas one stanza of the ``Star Spangled Banner'', which was written by Francis
Scott Key in 1814 and adopted as the national anthem of the United
States in 1931, states: ``O thus be it ever when free-men shall stand,
Between their lov'd home and the war's desolation; Blest with vict'ry
and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land Praise the Pow'r that hath made
and preserv'd us as a nation! Then conquer we must, when our cause it is
just, And this be our motto: `In God is our trust!' And the star-
spangled banner in triumph shall wave O'er the land of the free and the
home of the brave!'';
Whereas in 1861, the Secretary of the Treasury, Salmon P. Chase, while
instructing James Pollock, Director of the Mint at Philadelphia, to
prepare a motto, stated: ``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. You will cause a device
to be prepared without unnecessary delay with a motto expressing in the
fewest and tersest words possible this national recognition.'';
Whereas the phrase ``In God We Trust'' first appeared on a coin of the United
States in 1864;
Whereas in 1955, the phrase ``In God We Trust'' was designated as a mandatory
phrase to be inscribed on all currency and coins of the United States;
Whereas on March 28, 1956, the Judiciary Committee of the House of
Representatives, in its report accompanying H. J. Res. 396 (84th
Congress), stated: ``It will be of great spiritual and psychological
value to our country to have a clearly designated national motto of
inspirational quality in plain, popularly accepted English.'';
Whereas on July 30, 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed H. J. Res. 396
(84th Congress), making the phrase ``In God We Trust'' the official
motto of the United States; and
Whereas the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the formal adoption of the
national motto of the United States, ``In God We Trust'', presents an
opportunity for the citizens of the United States to reaffirm the
concept embodied in that motto that--
(1) the proper role of civil government is derived from the consent of
the governed, who are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
Rights; and
(2) the success of civil government relies firmly on the protection of
divine Providence: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring),
That Congress--
(1) commemorates the 50th anniversary of the national motto
of the United States, ``In God We Trust'';
(2) celebrates the national motto as--
(A) a fundamental aspect of the national life of
the citizens of the United States; and
(B) a phrase that is central to the hopes and
vision of the Founding Fathers for the perpetuity of
the United States;
(3) reaffirms today that the substance of the national
motto is no less vital to the future success of the Nation; and
(4) encourages the citizens of the United States to reflect
on--
(A) the national motto of the United States; and
(B) the integral part that the national motto of
the United States has played in the life of the Nation,
before and after its official adoption.
Passed the Senate July 12, 2006.
Attest:
EMILY J. REYNOLDS,
Secretary.