Why Do You Place Your Hand Over Your Heart During the Singing of the National Anthem?

The tradition of putting the hand over the heart came into being as a modification of Congress's first enactment of the code in June 1942. That law suggested using the Bellamy salute, in which people saluted the flag with their arms straight out and palms up. However, the salutes used by the Nazis and Fascists resembled the Bellamy salute, so Congress made the change.