Georgia General Assembly · Full text

HR 1157: United States national motto; reaffirm support

Introduced version, the latest LegiScan holds · Last action February 3, 2026 · Introduced

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House Resolution 1157

By: Representatives Petrea of the 166th, Stephens of the 164th, Seabaugh of the 34th, Cannon of the 172nd, and Dickey of the 134th

A RESOLUTION

Reaffirming support of the United States national motto; and for other purposes.

WHEREAS, the United States of America’s first president, George Washington, in his first inauguration speech in 1789, stated “no people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than the people of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of Providential agency”;and

WHEREAS, during the war of 1812, when Fort McHenry was under attack by the British. Francis Scott Key, wrote a poem entitled “The Defense of Fort McHenry” which contained the line “and this be our motto– IN GOD IS OUR TRUST”; and

WHEREAS, this line, “IN GOD IS OUR TRUST,” was later incorporated into the fourth stanza of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” which was declared the United States’ official national anthem by a joint resolution of Congress in 1931; and

WHEREAS, in 1862, during the American Civil War, a time of great national division, the phrase “IN GOD WE TRUST” was adopted by regiments from both the Confederacy and the Union; and

WHEREAS, in 1864, Samuel P. Chase, Secretary of the treasury, under President Abraham Lincoln, directed the Philadelphia mint to include the phrase on coinage, and the capitalized form "IN GOD WE TRUST" first appeared on the two-cent piece that same year, later expanding to all gold and silver coins in 1865; and

WHEREAS, the United States Post office first placed the phrase “IN GOD WE TRUST” on liberty postage stamps in 1954; and

WHEREAS, on July 30, 1956, both houses of the 84th Congress unanimously passed legislation that was then signed by President Eisenhower, declaring the phrase “IN GOD WE TRUST” to be our official national motto; and

WHEREAS, in 2011, our National Motto was again recently affirmed by the United States House of Representatives by a vote of 396-6 encouraging all Americans to proudly display our motto; and

WHEREAS, the display of our National Motto serves as a reflection of our National History and provides an opportunity to educate the public and commemorate the upcoming 250th anniversary of the United States of America.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body reaffirm the United States national motto, “IN GOD WE TRUST,” and support its continuation.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the public and the press.