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Page Number: 13.0

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AMERICAN LEGION v. AMERICAN HUMANIST ASSN. 

Opinion of the Court 

tional  debate  and  its  outcome  confirmed  the  cross’s  wide-
spread resonance as a symbol of sacrifice in the war. 

B 
  Recognition  of  the  cross’s  symbolism  extended  to  local 
communities across the country.  In late 1918, residents of 
Prince George’s County, Maryland, formed a committee for 
the purpose of erecting a memorial for the county’s fallen 
soldiers.    App.  988–989,  1014.    Among  the  committee’s 
members were the mothers of 10 deceased soldiers.  Id., at 
989.  The committee decided that the memorial should be 
a  cross  and  hired  sculptor  and  architect  John  Joseph 
Earley  to  design  it.    Although  we  do  not  know  precisely 
why the committee chose the cross, it is unsurprising that 
the  committee—and  many  others  commemorating  World 
War I10—adopted a symbol so widely associated with that 
wrenching event. 
  After  selecting  the  design,  the  committee  turned  to  the 
task  of  financing  the  project.    The  committee  held  fund-
raising events in the community and invited donations, no 
matter the size, with a form that read: 

“We,  the  citizens  of  Maryland,  trusting  in  God,  the 
Supreme  Ruler  of  the  Universe,  Pledge  Faith  in  our 
Brothers who gave their all in the World War to make 
[the] World Safe for Democracy.  Their Mortal Bodies 
have  turned  to  dust,  but  their  spirit  Lives  to  guide 
us  through  Life  in  the  way  of  Godliness,  Justice  and 
Liberty. 
“With  our  Motto,  ‘One  God,  One  Country,  and  One 
Flag’ We contribute to this Memorial Cross Commem-

—————— 

10 Other  World  War  I  memorials  that  incorporate  the  cross  include 
the  Argonne  Cross  and  the  Canadian  Cross  of  Sacrifice  in  Arlington 
National  Cemetery;  the  Wayside  Cross  in  Towson,  Maryland;  the 
Wayside  Cross  in  New  Canaan,  Connecticut;  the  Troop  K  Georgia 
Cavalry  War  Memorial  Front  in  Augusta,  Georgia;  the  Chestnut  Hill 
and Mt. Airy World War Memorial in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and 
the Great War for Democracy Memorial in Waterbury, Connecticut.