America's+Founding+Beliefs


 * America's Founding Beliefs**

Let me bring you back about 400 years ago. A ship, by a name I'm sure you've all heard, called the Mayflower left the docks of England and headed to America. The main reason for the Mayflower's departure was to seek religious freedom from the Anglican Church. The Anglican church is a Christian church, but why did the colonist decide to leave? The King was the source. He demanded that everyone must go to the church or pay a fine. Many people were against this. Many people wanted to leave England, but they had nowhere to go. They could have gone to Spain, or France, but they thought of a better idea. They decided to go to America since they received a patent from the London Virginia Company to settle at the mouth of the Hudson River. The pilgrims were finally able to practiced Christianity freely. The [|Mayflower Compact] was written and signed soon after, and the pilgrims made their home at Plymouth Rock.

In the year 1954, the words "under God" were added the pledge of allegiance. Dwight D. Eisenhower got the idea from Lincoln's [|Gettysburg Address]. Eisenhower thought that it made the United States different from any other nation. The words "under God" were thought to also help keep communists away. Legislation allowed this and it officially became part of the Pledge of Allegiance. Eisenhower did think about other people who may not be christian and he simply said that when you are reciting the Pledge, simply say "under Law" instead.