The national motto of the United States should be changed.

2 Round Debate 72 Hour Rounds 8,000 Character Limit 2 Week Voting Period ====== Resolved, That the motto of the U.S. should be changed. I propose that the motto of the United States of America be changed from "In God We Trust" back to the original "E Pluribus Unum" (Latin for "One from many"). I will present the case for changing the motto on constitutional as well as on logical grounds. My proposed alternative need not be accepted for me to win this debate. ======= Separation of Church and State ======= The national motto of the U.S. in its current form reads "In God We Trust". This is a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which reads: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion..." (http://www.usconstitution.net...) This clause has been interpreted by the U.S. Supreme Court by the majority opinion in Everson v. Board of Education (330 U.S. 1, 1947) (given by Justice Hugo Black) to mean, among other things: "...Neither can pass laws which aid one religion, aid all religions or prefer one religion over another. Neither can force nor influence a person to go to or to remain away from church against his will or force him to profess a belief or disbelief in any religion..." (Source: http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com... Paragraph 16. This portion of Justice Black's ruling can also be found: http://en.wikipedia.org...) "In God We Trust" clearly violates the Establishment Clause on two counts, as interpreted by Justice Black: 1. The reference to God (the Christian deity) gives preference to theism over non-theism in general and Christianity over non-Christianity in particular. 2. The mere fact that the U.S. national motto is "In God We Trust" can be seen as an attempt by the federal government to influence an individual or to force an individual to profess a belief in theism in general and/or Christianity in particular. Both of these violate the Establishment Clause as the U.S. Government currently understands it. ======= E Pluribus Unum ======= The Latin phrase, meaning "one from many", better reflects U.S. history and our current form of government. In short, it makes more sense logically. Below I will explain why. The separation of church and state was a founding principle, and a principle which has been (more or less) heeded since that time. The national motto should reflect our principles. Since "In God We Trust" is counter to the principle of church-state separation, it stands to reason that this phrase should be removed. "E Pluribus Unum" is a reflection of our nation's founding and our form of government (Federation). The American Revolution was fought by 13 sovereign states which combined into one central government in 1787 via the ratification of the U.S. Constitution to form the United States. One entity was formed from several individual units. Today we can still see one entity (the U.S.) made up of 50 constituent parts (states). One from many. ======= Conclusion ======= Because the current national motto of the United States of America violates the U.S. Constitution; and because there are mottoes that better reflect our history and values: the resolution, that the motto of the U.S. should be changed, is affirmed.