Celebrating 47 Years: Washington Monument Rally

On September 18, 1976, True Parents held the Washington Monument Rally in the nation’s capital to commemorate America’s bicentennial. This historic event — recorded as the largest religious gathering in the U.S. at the time — drew some 30,000 people, including faith leaders, government officials, journalists, and everyday citizens.

On this 47th anniversary, we remember the rally and the impassioned message True Father delivered to the crowd, imploring the young people and leaders of America to return to God. Below is an excerpt from his speech, “America and God’s Will.”

Human history has been a history of struggle, a history of war. It has been almost like a tug-of-war between God and Satan, with humanity as the prize. Good and evil have been struggling to win people to their respective sides...

[Historically,] Britain persecuted the Puritans and was apathetic toward the reforming spirit. The persecuted people had to look for a land of hope. They were united by a common destiny. Transcending race and national barriers and fleeing persecution, they came to the New World, the American continent. Here they established an independent Protestant nation. This is the providential background behind the birth of America. 

Today, America and Christianity together must take up the sacred task of world restoration. America must unite the cultures of the West and the East, as well as the Middle East, and create one great, unified culture, ultimately fulfilling the mission of establishing the kingdom of God on earth...

The United States of America, transcending race and nationality, is already a model of the unified world. The people of the United States must realize that the abundant blessings God has been pouring upon this land are not just for America but for all human beings throughout the world... 

To inspire America to avoid the same mistakes, to inspire America to sacrifice herself for the sake of the world, to inspire America to work toward one world under God, God summoned me to this country to proclaim God’s new revelation. In particular, God called me to lead the young people of America, the leaders of tomorrow, back to God. 

Today, America is plagued with problems — racism, juvenile delinquency and immorality. Christianity is declining. Communism is rising. The menace of communism is everywhere. Of all these problems, atheistic communism is the worst. It is not just America’s problem; it is the problem of religious people and the problem of God himself. 

Photo courtesy of Sunhak Institute of History

Ladies and gentlemen, at this crossroads of human history, we must listen to the call of God. God prepared America for two hundred years. This is the time for awakening. America must accept its global responsibility. Armed with Godism, America has to free the communist world, and at last build the kingdom of God here on earth. God has chosen America as the flag bearer. 

America must rise up today. Tomorrow may be too late. I not only respect America but I also truly love this nation. I respect and love the United States as a great nation, as a godly nation and as the central nation in God's providence ... Today in this holy place, let us together lay the cornerstone of the kingdom of God on earth. Let us all join together as the coworkers of God. Let us be the pioneers of his kingdom.

You can revisit True Parents’ milestone events and speeches archived from the Sunhak Institute of History here.