| | The Pledge of Allegiance
On September 8, 1892, the Boston based "The Youth's Companion" magazine published a few words for students to repeat on Columbus Day that year. Written by Francis Bellamy, the circulation manager and native of Rome, New York, and reprinted on thousands of leaflets, was sent out to public schools across the country. On October 12, 1892, the quadricentennial of Columbus' arrival, more than 12 million children recited the Pledge of Allegiance, thus beginning a required school-day ritual.At the first National Flag Conference in Washington D.C., on June14, 1923, a change was made. For clarity, the words "the Flag of the United States" replaced "my flag". In the following years various other changes were suggested but were never formally adopted.
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It was not until 1942 that Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance. One year later, in June 1943, the Supreme Court ruled that school children could not be forced to recite it. In fact, today only half of our fifty states have laws that encourage the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in the classroom! In June of 1954 an amendment was made to add the words "under God". Then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower said "In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America's heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country's most powerful resource in peace and war. The Pledge of Allegiance
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. The Meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance
When you pledge allegiance to your flag, you promise loyalty and devotion to your nation. Each work has a deep meaning.
I pledge allegiance . . . I promise to be true
. . . to the flag . . . to the symbol of our country
. . . of the United States of America . . . a country made up of 50 states and several territories, each with certain rights of its own
. . . and to the Republic . . . a country where people elect representatives from among themselves to make laws for them
. . . for which it stands . . . the flag represents the country . . . one Nation under God, . . . a country whose people are free to believe in God. . . indivisible, . . . the country cannot be split into parts . . . with liberty and justice . . . with freedom and fairness . . . for all. For every person in the country. Special thanks to Neoslice, ICSS,
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The Pledge of Allegiance |
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