I really like how HBO showed the awkwardness and nervousness of the principal characters present at George Washington's swearing-in as President of the United States.
When Washington adds "so help me God" to the presidential oath, those watching this scene truly understand why. It wasn't a political ploy to appeal to Christian voters - not then and not now. As courageous as Washington was in war, he was genuinely troubled by this responsibility he was undertaking. He did not feel himself adequate to the role, and was deeply concerned he would fail. And he knew that failure would not only wreck his reputation, it could also doom the nation. To steal a phrase from the movie Apollo 13: "Failure [was] not an option!" So, Washington placed his fate and that of the United States in the hand of Providence. "So help me God" was indeed an understandable thing to say.
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You may choose to comment, "'So help me God' was indeed an understandable thing to say," but the fact remains that there is no contemporary written record that supports the notion of George Washington having added anything to his presidential oath of office.
Those authors, like Rufus Griswold (1854), Washington Irving (1857), David McCullough (2002), along with many more, have all known how to dress up a scene so they can sell more books to their Christian readers. Parson Weems was the first who taught his brand of literary successors how to exploit George Washington's reputation for the sake of their own reputation and financial gain.
At the time of this country's first presidential inauguration, George Washington's honor and reputation rested squarely on his adhering strictly to the words as prescribed in the Constitution. If he wanted "So help me God" added to the presidential oath, he had every opportunity to have done so during the deliberations of the Constitutional Convention over which he presided. The historical record indicates that the actual precedent Washington established, which was followed by all elected-Presidents into the twentieth century, was for the president to recite the oath exactly as defined by the Constitution.
Washington may not have intentionally added the words "So help me God" to the oath. I think it was a prayer, because as Brian so accurately observed in the post, Washington knew that it was imperative that he set an example for this office, and as is characteristic of Washington (if you read his private letters and public addresses) he always relied upon and gave the credit to God.
As far as an eyewitness testimony observing that Washington actually spoke those words, I am not aware of any as of yet. I am going to look up the written testimony of Alexander Hamilton's wife, who was there on the occasion, and who testified that Washington, upon taking the oath, proceeded to St. Paul's chapel and attended church, where he dedicated the nation to God, and took communion at Mrs. Hamilton's side. Perhaps this testimony has something relative to the "so help me God" phrase.
None of the books and newspapers published before Rufus Griswold's and Washington Irving's books claims that GW appended 'so help me God' to his oath of office, and there is a similar lack of contemporaneous eyewitness accounts that any other president appended that phrase after the oath of office recitation until at least the Civil War.
Ray and "Explicit Atheist," adding "so help me God" to the oath is consistent with George Washington's character and faith. But EVEN IF YOU ARE RIGHT, you cannot deny the CONTENT of Washington's First Inaugural Address, in which he said....
...it 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. In tendering this homage to the Great Author of every public and private good, I assure myself that it expresses your sentiments not less than my own, nor those of my fellow-citizens at large less than either. No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than those of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency...
Care to explain THAT one?
We are trying to correct a common mispresentation of history, and we are correct that this isn't a proper historical claim. Washington's inaugural speech isn't evidence that he, or any other 18th president, appended "so help me God" to their oath of office recitation and that unjustified, and probably factually false, assertion needs to be erased from the history books and government web sites.
OK, so let's say that there is absolutely no evidence that Washington ACTUALLY uttered those words, and suppose it is simply American tradition. Two facts still remain. First, is the fact which Brian observed above. Second, Presidents for generations have repeated those words at the end of the presidential oath. If George Washington didn't start that tradition, who did?
The inaugural and farewell speeches are not disputed, I am not interested here in how the history is to be "explained", just in what it actually was, and anyone who is interested, regardless of your politics or religion, can contribute to the research effort is welcome to do so and will be given credit (if requested) for any contribution (primary source material). The details, as we have determined so far, are http://www.nonbeliever.org/commentary/inaugural_shmG.html. Chester Arthur appended that phrase, Jefferson Davis did earlier. We have some conflicting information about some of the presidents starting with Lincoln's 2nd inauguration, but we are not convinced that anyone else did before Chester Arthur. We know that all presidents have since 1933.
Sorry, typo, that should be So help me God in presidential oaths . If you can find more evidence of presidents appending shmG then we have been able to find so far, or any other clarification of this question, then please let us know.
Brian: "Care to explain THAT one?"
No need to explain. The pursuit is one of history. If anyone has a hidden agenda (your's is clearly revealed) then they are not to be trusted the investigation of history.
If there is no evidence that GW appended the words "so help be God" then it is appropriate to drop the claim.
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