Whereas, on June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress approved the design of a flag of the United States; Whereas, over the years, the flag of the United States has preserved the standards of the original design comprised of alternating red and white stripes accompanied by a union consisting of white stars on a field of blue; Whereas, on May 30, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued Presidential Proclamation 1335, an announcement asking the people of the United States to observe June 14 as Flag Day; Whereas, on August 3, 1949, President Harry Truman signed into law House Joint Resolution 170, 81st Congress, a joint resolution designating June 14 of each year as Flag Day; Whereas, on August 21, 1959, President Dwight Eisenhower issued Executive Order 10834 (24 Fed. Reg. 6865), an order establishing the most recent design of the flag of the United States; Whereas the Pledge of Allegiance was written by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister, and first published in the September 8, 1892, issue of The Youth's Companion; Whereas, in 1954, Congress added the words under God to the Pledge of Allegiance; Whereas, for more than 60 years, the Pledge of Allegiance has included references to the United States flag, to the United States having been established as a union under God , and to the United States being dedicated to securing liberty and justice for all ; Whereas, in 1954, Congress believed it was acting constitutionally when it revised the Pledge of Allegiance; Whereas the United States was founded on principles of religious freedom by the Founders, many of whom were deeply religious; Whereas the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States embodies principles intended to guarantee freedom of religion through the free exercise thereof and by prohibiting the Government from establishing a religion; Whereas patriotic songs, engravings on United States legal tender, and engravings on Federal buildings also contain general references to God