A bill passed by the Tennessee 110th General Assembly back in April has resurfaced in infamy due to the proximity of the upcoming school year. The "National Motto in the Classroom Act" (also known as Tennessee House Bill 2368), sponsored by District 57 Representative Susan Lynn, calls for all educational institutions both public and private to display the national motto, "In God We Trust" in a visible spot for students to observe. This bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated 49-6.
Why is this problematic? For starters, this bill should have been flagged as unconstitutional by the Tennessee Attorney General under the establishment clause of the first amendment to the United States Constitution, which reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." While this is indeed one of the national mottos of the United States, it is not the only motto; on the grounds of "patriotism", as suggested by the necessity of this bill, the motto "E Pluribus Unum" (Of Many, One) would not only be more Constitutionally binding, but considerably more appropriate for display in elementary and secondary education institutions for historical purposes.
Furthermore, this is problematic due to the nature of the bill's introduction. Congresswoman Lynn gave an interesting opening speech to introduce HB2368 by saying that the intent of the bill was historical, stating that, "It's really important that children understand the foundation of our government," and followed by stating that "Congress passed the national motto in the 1940s… It's just a really good thing to display our national motto." [Transcript taken from News Channel 5 online.] The issue with this is that both of these statements of justification are incorrect. Congress originally passed a bill to change the national motto, which was signed by then-president Dwight D. Eisenhower, in 1956. Therefore, the motto was also not fundamental to the foundation of the United States government, as it would not be officially made into our country's motto for more than 180 years!
Lastly, and this part is the vital one, but the motto "In God We Trust" was implemented as a scare tactic during the Red Scare. When passed by President Eisenhower in 1956, the Cold War had already been taking place for 9 years. It was at this time that the threat of Communism became overwhelming to many western countries, which resulted in the formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in order to provide opposition to the Soviet Union's forces, which were invading the Republic of China. Effectually, the United States' response to the spread of Communism was fear, and the best way to curb fear was with reassurance. The United States public was fed propaganda during what would later be called the Red Scare, or the desperate spread of anti-communism. One of the reassurances that the scared public was given was that Communism was inherently non-religious by nature and therefore a religious motto would prevent the government from falling victim to the perils of Social Communism. Therefore, "In God, We Trust" was voted as the United States' new national motto by a congressional assembly terrified of being falsely outed as Communist to their peers.
And so, "In God, We Trust" can be found on all paper money and coinage (as well as the words "Under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance, which were added in 1963). Regardless of whether or not a majority of citizens are religious, they are all still members of a nation with a Constitution that binds them to justice and gives them the responsibility to uphold that justice for all of their neighbors and peers. And while it is not surprising that a bill with blatantly religious intent could be passed in a state where being religious is somehow still a requirement for officeholders according to the state constitution, it should cause concern for all Tennesseans who value the US Constitution.
Representative Lynn's seat, as well as the other 98 state Representative seats, is currently up for election. Please exercise your voting rights this August. (Ps, thanks to my mom for the photo above in 2017!)
