Our Pledge of Allegiance

I am old enough to remember when the words "under God" were added to our Pledge of Allegiance. In fact this memory is so clear in my memory, I can even visualize what my teacher was wearing the day our class was informed of the change. But, the ironic part of my memory is not the meaning or significance of the words "under God," but something much more basic and simple. What I remember is being drilled and then drilled some more on getting the pause correct. This lesson is so ingrained that fifty years later, I still cringe when I hear the Pledge said with pauses before and after those fateful words. I can hear the teacher giving her grammar lesson. You see, I was nine years old and one of the things we were learning at that time was to understand that punctuation helps determine meaning and helps us when reading back. So we drilled on the phrase "one nation under God,<short pause>" rather than "one nation <short pause> under God, <short pause>." I have no memory of any religious discussion or any discussion at all as to what the words "under God" mean in the overall scheme of things. Now if you think my school was somehow not as religiously inclined, I would point out that even though an excellent public school system, our school day started with 10 verses being read from the Old Testament of the Bible, chosen and read out loud by a student, usually one of the Psalms, the recitation of the "Lord's Prayer" and then followed by everyone standing, placing our hands over our hearts and reciting the "Pledge of Allegiance." My classes were made up of about 35% Jewish children, both Orthodox and Reformed, about 15% Catholic and the remaining 50% split between very mainline Presbyterian (descendants of the high concentration of Scots-Irish), Methodist (descendants of the early Quaker families) and Lutheran (descendants of the Pennsylvania German/Dutch) families. If there was any religious dissension in my school, I wasn't aware of it, unless you consider the grousing we "protestant" children had that we didn't get extra days off for holy days like our Jewish school friends did, who got 3 or 4 extra days each year. Nearly all of us had fathers, uncles, even older brothers who had fought in World War II and many, if not all, our Jewish friends had family members who were Holocaust survivors. Our history lessons were full of teaching about religious tolerance and what our forefathers established in the great state of Pennsylvania as they escaped the religious persecutions of the Church of England and the European blood baths against Jews, Catholics and protestants during the reformation period and leading up to the rise of Nazism. Unlike today, where the schools are forced to rewrite the history of this country because of fear of the crazy "establishment" fears so rampant in America today, we were taught that those of different or independent views deserve respect and tolerance. But, in order to teach that lesson, we had to know what the situations of each era were. I just don't know how one teaches history while leaving out the role of God or religious beliefs of the pioneer founders.

Our Pledge of Allegiance has undergone several changes since it was first adopted as our nation's Pledge on October 11, 1892.

I pledge allegiance to my Flag, and to the Republic for which it stands:      one Nation indivisible, With Liberty and Justice for all. October 11, 1892

For the first 25 years, the Pledge was primarily something that school children recited. In 1923, the concern became centered on the large number of adult immigrants our nation was experiencing and the concern that there was built in confusion over pledging allegiance to "my Flag." So, on Flag Day, June 14, 1923 the wording was changed to:

I pledge allegiance to my the Flag of the United States, and to the Republic for which it stands:      one Nation indivisible, With Liberty and Justice for all. June 14, 1923

One year later, the wording was changed again for even greater clarification:

I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands:      one Nation indivisible, With Liberty and Justice for all. June 14, 1924

It wasn't until the heightened patriotism surrounding World War II that the Pledge of Allegiance was OFFICIALLY adopted by the United States when the United States Congress included the Pledge to the Flag in the United States Flag Code (Title 36), June 1942. One year later, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that school children could not be forced to recite the Pledge as part of their daily school routine. In 1945, the official title of the Pledge was designated as the Pledge of Allegiance rather than the Pledge to the Flag, as previously known.

The last change to the Pledge came in 1954 when the words "under God" were added by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and he stated:

"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 final version had grown from the original 23 words written for a Columbus Day celebration honoring the Flag to the present day 31 word pledge of loyalty not only to the Flag, but to the American ideal and way of life.

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. June 14, 1954

 

Comments

[Ken Bingham]

If there is one silver lining to this moronic ruling it's that Bush can use it to appoint a conservative to the Supreme court and it will put Dems on the defensive.

[patd95]

Under God is only a philosophy, not establishment. No one seems to say that in the MSM!

[JustaDog]

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.

Good words, good ideals - except to the liberal crowd.

[Brad]

Yeah, those crazy liberals who think you're allowed to believe whatever you want. Hell, if the liberals had their way, Americans could choose not to believe in their imaginary friend.

Hitler was a fervent believer in God, too.

[Icarus Goodman]

I fail to see how saying "under God" is in any way a history lesson. It's a pledge of allegiance to a nation that is, in its own words, under the dominion of God, which is therefore a pledge of allegiance to this God. Frankly I have a problem with an allegience pledge period, but what does God have to do with it? I for one don't pledge allegiance to any God, and I am an American, so am I to assume that I am not a member of this nation that is apparently "under God"? And please don't make some Liberal crack, I am no Liberal, I dislike them just as much as anyone here.

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Squiggler says: I'm having a hard time figuring out why so many commenters have a problem with this post. I make no statement pro or con about the issue. This is meant to be an historical perspective on the Pledge itself, how it developed and when. Since the Supreme Court ruled fifty years ago that students are NOT required to say the Pledge of Allegiance, what's the beef?