Did Washington Say "So Help me God"?

In a previous blog post, I noted that George Washington was the first President to add the words "so help me God" to the presidential oath. It has since come to my attention that this claim is hotly contested by some individuals in our society. Not surprisingly, those individuals tend to be those who object to religious references in the public square.

This is an odd objection, since no one contests the fact that George Washington took his oath on the Bible and made several references to God in his Inaugural Address. Her'e just one of those references:

"[I]t would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official act my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States a Government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes, and may enable every instrument employed in its administration to execute with success the functions allotted to his charge."

Even if somehow Washington didn't add "so help me God" to the oath, it's plainly obvious that, in his Inaugural Address, he is publicly calling on God to assist him in executing his duties as the President. And, again, this is but one reference to God in the speech. There are others.

George Washington was a devout man of prayer and faith. Whether he was an evangelical Christian is open for further analysis and debate. The evidence on that is mixed. But Washington was most certainly a devout monotheist, who believed that the United States of America should indeed be under God.