IN HCR0021

Indiana General Assembly recognizes February 10, 1954, as the anniversary of the addition of "under God" to the United States Pledge of Allegiance.

Michigan Senator Homer Ferguson introduced the bill in Congress on February 10, 1954, to amend the Pledge of Allegiance by adding the words "under God."

The date was chosen to mark the five-year anniversary of Hungarian Cardinal Joseph Mindszenty's imprisonment and torture by Communists for his sermons opposing the Communist goal of religious eradication.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower became convinced on February 7, 1954, that adding "under God" to the pledge was appropriate after hearing Reverend George Docherty preach about the phrase being first used in the Gettysburg Address.

The revised Pledge of Allegiance was first recited on Flag Day, June 14, 1954, following a unanimous congressional vote to add the religious phrase.