"America is a nation chosen by God—yet today they has turned away from Him." Fifty years ago, at America's 200th birthday, Rev. Moon carried this message across the country.
The journey reached its height before two great crowds—40,000 at Yankee Stadium, and 300,000 in Washington, D.C.
And today, President Trump is preparing to mark the nation's 250th birthday as a "rededication to God." The words Rev. Moon spoke before those crowds have not faded. They are needed now more than ever.
A "Nation Chosen by God"
Rev. Moon's speech began with one belief: that God had guided America into being.
On June 1, 1976, the Unification Church (today the Family Federation) held the "God Bless America Festival" for the nation's 200th birthday.
The rally was led by Rev. Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han. Why would a Korean leader, not even an American citizen, lead a national celebration? Rev. Moon said it was his firm belief that the United States was conceived by God. People who came to this land seeking God, he explained, had built a nation centered on Him.
In a short 200 years, God raised this nation to be the mightiest on earth. But blessings come with responsibility, he said, and a nation that gives up that responsibility loses the blessing too.
Brooms in Hand: A City Astir Before the Rally
The Yankee Stadium rally was not a sudden idea. It was a major milestone in four years of work across America, ever since Rev. Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han came to the United States in 1972.
The preparation began in the streets. Members put on uniforms that read "God Bless America," picked up brooms, and went out to sweep the streets of New York with their own hands.
Neil Salonen, then president of the Unification Church in the U.S., later remembered the scene. If everyone cleaned the street in front of their own house, there would be no problems on the streets—but each person has to do his part, and trust that others will do theirs. It was a belief shown not in words but in action. Even Salonen's two-year-old daughter put on a small uniform and joined the line. Before long, the sight was in the newspapers and on everyone's lips.
As the rally drew near, the excitement spread through the whole city. People called out for tickets to catch a glimpse of Rev. Moon, and signatures of support swelled into the hundreds of thousands.
Ten phone operators answered calls that never stopped, from morning until late at night. Posters bearing Rev. Moon's face lined the streets of Manhattan, full-page ads ran in the newspapers, and radio and television carried word of the rally.
Members stood at subway stops and on street corners, handing out flyers and telling passersby about the night of June 1. Events and gatherings filled the city, and several thousand people packed a rally on Wall Street.
Events and gatherings filled the city as part of the buildup. On Wall Street—the very heart of American commerce—several thousand people came together for one of the largest of these gatherings, carrying word of the festival into the center of the city.
And through it all, one belief held them together: that on the night of June 1, the whole nation would wake up to its responsibility.
The Miracle in the Storm
That night, the story began with disaster.
Just before the program started, a storm hit the stadium. Winds of about 60 miles per hour ripped apart the new decorations. Forecasters warned of a tornado, and heavy rain poured down. The event was close to being canceled.
But the people did not leave. Members, families, and guests stayed in their seats and prayed. Then someone started to sing "You Are My Sunshine." One voice became many, and soon the whole crowd was singing together.
One person there later remembered: "The strong wind blew away everything we had set up. The event was close to being called off." But as the singing grew, "the dark clouds finally lifted." About 30 minutes later, the storm was gone, and the stadium was cleaned up. To this day, that night is told as a miracle—faith that changed even the weather.
When the storm passed, the crowds came. According to church records, more than 45,000 people filled the stadium, and the festival was a great success.
A Call to Return, Born of Love for America
The heart of Rev. Moon's speech was his deep hope for America. He spoke as someone who wanted this nation, once chosen by God, to turn back to Him once more.
He described the country in plain words. The world had lost faith in America, he said, and New York had become a jungle of immorality and depravity.
Families were breaking apart, churches were dividing, and the country faced the threat of communism. God was being forgotten, he said, and was about to leave. Then he used a simple image:
God is the cement. With God, America stays together like concrete. But without Him, she becomes like sand, and when the flood comes, all is washed away.
America, he hoped, would return to the true spirit of its founding.
"A Doctor, a Firefighter"
So why would a man from Korea go this far? Rev. Moon answered with a comparison.
If there is illness in your home, don't you need a doctor from outside? If your home catches fire, don't you need firefighters from outside? God has sent me to America as a doctor, as a firefighter.
Even though America had turned away, he said, God would not give up on her. I know God's will is to save the world, and that America must lead the way. That is why I came to America.
From America to "One World Under God"
This rally was not just a celebration.
For Rev. Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han, it was the start of a peace movement in America.
If America returned to God, he believed, other nations would follow. Rev. Moon called for uniting people who were fleeing communism for freedom, saying the free world must now liberate the enslaved communist world. Beyond that was his picture of "one world under God."
Other nations would follow America's example and build the kingdom of God on their own lands, and all would become brothers and sisters under Heavenly Parent, God.
He closed his speech by praying for God's blessing on America's new century.
Fifty Years Later
The question from that night at Yankee Stadium has not gone away.
Three months later, a much larger crowd—said to be around 300,000—gathered at the Washington Monument.
At the time, the movement drew not only support but also criticism and debate. Still, what these rallies aimed at was more than America's renewal: it was a world joined together as one, beyond the lines of race and nationality.
Rev. Moon was not the only one to speak of an "America under God." In 1954, President Eisenhower signed a law adding "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance, and in 1982, President Reagan called America a nation dedicated under God to the cause of liberty.
But these presidents spoke of one nation's faith. The Yankee Stadium vision was far bigger—it saw that faith as the starting point for changing the whole world.
Now the question is back.
In 2026, America turns 250. President Trump has named the milestone "Rededicate 250," calling for the country to be rededicated as "one nation under God." As America again moves to dedicate itself to God, where is it heading? Fifty years on, the question from that stormy night still echoes.