The Pledge of Allegiance to the United States flag is an oath of loyalty to the country. Flags of the United States The Flag of the United States of America consists of 13 equal horizontal stripes of Red (top and bottom alternating It is recited at many public events. Congress sessions open with the recitation of the Pledge. The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses

The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag reads as follows:

"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. "
It should be recited by standing at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. When not in uniform men should remove any non-religious headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart. Persons in uniform should remain silent, face the flag, and render the military salute. ^[1]

Some U. S. states, such as Texas, also have pledges of allegiance to their state flags (see Flag of Texas). Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. The Flag of Texas is defined by law as follows The state flag consists of a rectangle with a width to length ratio of two to three containing (1 a blue

Other countries also have oaths of allegiance to their flags. In Saudi Arabia, for example, the oath is compulsory because the Saudi flag bears the Islamic declaration of faith. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA ( المملكة العربية السعودية, al-Mamlaka al-ʻArabiyya as-Suʻūdiyya) or Suudi The flag of Saudi Arabia is the flag used by the government of Saudi Arabia since March 15, 1973.

History

The Pledge of Allegiance was written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy (1855-1931), a Baptist minister, a Christian Socialist, and the cousin of Socialist Utopian novelist Edward Bellamy (1850-1898). Francis Julius Bellamy ( May 18, 1855 - August 28, 1931) was an American Baptist minister and Christian Socialist Christian socialism generally refers to those on the Christian left whose politics are both Christian and Socialist and who see these two philosophies as Edward Bellamy (March 26 1850 &ndash May 22 1898 was an American Author and Socialist, most famous for his Utopian Novel, Bellamy's original "Pledge of Allegiance" was published in the September 8th issue of the popular children's magazine The Youth's Companion as part of the National Public-School Celebration of Columbus Day, a celebration of the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's discovery of America, conceived by James B. The Youth's Companion (1827-1929 was an American Children's magazine. Christopher Columbus (1451 &ndash May 20 1506 was an Italian Navigator, colonizer Upham.

Bellamy's original Pledge read, "I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. America"

The pledge was supposed to be quick and to the point. Bellamy designed it to be stated in 15 seconds. He had initially also considered using the words equality and fraternity but decided they were too controversial since many people opposed equal rights for women and blacks. Bellamy said that the purpose of the pledge was to teach obedience to the state as a virtue and that the United States supports the flag.

After a proclamation by President Benjamin Harrison, the Pledge was first used in public schools on October 12, 1892 during Columbus Day observances. Benjamin Harrison (August 20 1833 &ndash March 13 1901 was the twenty-third President of the United States, serving one term from 1889 to 1893 Events 539 BC - The army of Cyrus the Great of Persia takes Babylon. Year 1892 ( MDCCCXCII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Many countries in the New World and elsewhere celebrate the anniversary of Christopher Columbus 's arrival in the Americas, which occurred on October 12, This date was also significant as it was the dedication day of the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois. The World's Columbian Exposition (also called The Chicago World's Fair) a World's Fair, was held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. The State of Illinois ( roughly ill-i-NOY is a state of the United States of America, the 21st to be admitted to the Union. Bellamy thought that the pledge itself and the involvement of children across the country would be a fine show of national solidarity.

In 1923 the National Flag Conference called for the words my Flag to be changed to the Flag of the United States. The reason given was to ensure that immigrants knew to which flag reference was being made. The words "of America" were added a year later. The U. S. Congress officially recognized the Pledge as the official national pledge on June 22, 1942. Events 217 BC - Battle of Raphia: Ptolemy IV of Egypt defeats Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid kingdom. Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

In 1940 the Supreme Court, in deciding the case of Minersville School District v. Gobitis, ruled that students in public schools could be compelled to recite the Pledge, even Jehovah's Witnesses like the Gobitases (whose name was misspelled as 'Gobitis' in the court case), who considered the flag salute to be idolatry. The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the United States and leads the federal judiciary. Minersville School District v Gobitis,, was a decision by the Supreme Court of the United States involving the religious rights of public school students under Jehovah's Witnesses is a restorationist, millenialist Christian denomination Idolatry is usually defined as Worship of any Cult image, Idea, or object, as opposed to the worship of a monotheistic God. In the wake of this ruling, there was a rash of mob violence and intimidation against Jehovah's Witnesses. In 1943 the Supreme Court reversed its decision, ruling in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette that "compulsory unification of opinion" violated the First Amendment. West Virginia State Board of Education v Barnette, 319 US 624 ( 1943) was a decision by the Supreme Court of the United States that held that

Students reciting the pledge on Flag Day in 1899

Before World War II, the Pledge would begin with the right hand over the heart during the phrase "I pledge allegiance". In the United States, Flag Day is celebrated on June 14. It commemorates the adoption of the Flag of the United States, which happened that World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The arm was then extended toward the Flag at the phrase "to the Flag", and it remained outstretched during the rest of the pledge, with the palm facing upward, as if to lift the flag.

An early version of the salute, adopted in 1892, was known as the Bellamy salute. The Bellamy salute is the hand gesture described by Francis Bellamy (1855-1931 to accompany the American Pledge of Allegiance, which he had authored It also ended with the arm outstretched and the palm upwards, but began with the right hand outstretched, palm facing downward. However, during World War II the outstretched arm became identified with Nazism and Fascism, and the custom was changed: today the Pledge is said from beginning to end with the right hand over the heart. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Nazism, which was a short name for National Socialism (Nationalsozialismus refers primarily to the Ideology and practices of the National Socialist German Fascism is a totalitarian nationalist and corporatist ideology

Addition of the words "under God"

The Knights of Columbus in New York City felt that the pledge was incomplete without any reference to a deity. The Knights of Columbus is the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization Appealing to the authority of Abraham Lincoln, the Knights felt that the words "under God" which were from Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address were most appropriate to add to the Pledge. Abraham Lincoln (February 12 1809 &ndash April 15 1865 the sixteenth President of the United States, successfully led his country through its greatest internal The Gettysburg Address is a speech by US President Abraham Lincoln and one of the most quoted speeches in United States history. In New York City on April 22, 1951, the Board of Directors of the Knights of Columbus adopted a resolution to amend their recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance at the opening of each of the meetings of the 800 Fourth Degree Assemblies of the Knights of Columbus by addition of the words "under God" after the words "one nation. Events 1500 - Portuguese Navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral becomes the first European to sight Brazil. Year 1951 ( MCMLI) was a Common year starting on Monday. Events of 1951 January " In the following two years, the idea spread throughout Knights of Columbus organizations nationwide. On August 21, 1952, the Supreme Council of the Knights of Columbus at its annual meeting adopted a resolution urging that the change be made universal and copies of this resolution were sent to the President, the Vice President (as Presiding Officer of the Senate) and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Events 1192 - Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Tai Shōgun and the De facto ruler of Japan. Year 1952 ( MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The National Fraternal Congress meeting in Boston on September 24, 1952, adopted a similar resolution upon the recommendation of its President, Supreme Knight Luke E. Events 622 - Prophet Muhammad completes his hegira from Mecca to Medina. Year 1952 ( MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Hart. Several State Fraternal Congresses acted likewise almost immediately thereafter. This campaign led to several official attempts to prompt Congress to adopt the Knights of Columbus’ policy for the entire nation. These attempts failed.

The Knights of Columbus tried and tried again, yet they were unsuccessful in their attempts to persuade the United States government to amend the pledge. Bills were introduced as early as 1953, when Representative Louis C. Rabaut of Michigan sponsored a resolution at the suggestion of a correspondent. Louis Charles Rabaut ( December 5, 1886 - November 12, 1961) was politician from the U It was a Presbyterian minister who made the difference in 1954 by preaching a sermon about Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. Presbyterianism is a family of Christian denominations within the Reformed branch of Protestant Western Christianity Abraham Lincoln (February 12 1809 &ndash April 15 1865 the sixteenth President of the United States, successfully led his country through its greatest internal The Gettysburg Address is a speech by US President Abraham Lincoln and one of the most quoted speeches in United States history. The minister was George MacPherson Docherty, a native of Scotland who was called to succeed Peter Marshall as pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church near the White House, where, in 1863, the same year as the address, Lincoln attended and even rented a pew. George MacPherson Docherty (born 1911 was a principal instigator of the addition of the words "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. The Reverend Dr Peter Marshall ( 27 May 1902 &ndash January 26, 1949) was a Scottish-American Preacher, and twice served as The New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington DC, is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA. See also Executive Office of the President of the United States The White House, formerly known as the Executive Mansion, is the Official residence After Lincoln’s death, the pew that he rented became something of a national monument. It became customary for later United States presidents to attend services at the church and sit in the Lincoln pew on the Sunday closest to Lincoln’s birthday (February 12) each year.

As Lincoln Sunday (February 7, 1954) approached, Rev. Events 457 - Leo I becomes emperor of the Byzantine Empire. 1074 - Battle of Montesarchio in which the Prince Year 1954 ( MCMLIV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar) Docherty knew not only that President Dwight Eisenhower was to be in attendance, but that it was more than just an annual ritual for him; while President, Eisenhower had been baptized a Presbyterian. Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (October 14 1890 – March 28 1969 was President of the United States from 1953 until 1961 and a five-star general Docherty's sermon focused on the Gettysburg Address, drawing its title from the address, "A New Birth of Freedom. "

Docherty’s message began with a comparison of the United States to ancient Sparta. The city of Sparta ( Doric Σπάρτα Attic Σπάρτη Docherty noted that a traveler to ancient Sparta was amazed by the fact that the Spartans’ national might was not to be found in their walls, their shields, or their weapons, but in their spirit. The city of Sparta ( Doric Σπάρτα Attic Σπάρτη Likewise, said Docherty, the might of the United States should not be thought of as emanating from their newly developed Atomic weapons, but in their spirit, the "American way of life". The United States of America —commonly referred to as the In the remainder of the sermon Docherty sought to define as succinctly as possible the essence of the American spirit and way of life. To do so, Docherty appealed to those two words in Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Abraham Lincoln (February 12 1809 &ndash April 15 1865 the sixteenth President of the United States, successfully led his country through its greatest internal The Gettysburg Address is a speech by US President Abraham Lincoln and one of the most quoted speeches in United States history. According to Docherty, what has made the United States both unique and strong was her sense of being the nation that Lincoln described: a nation "under God. " Docherty took the opportunity to tell a story of a conversation with his children about the Pledge of Allegiance. Docherty was troubled by the fact that it did not include any reference to the deity. Without such reference, Docherty insisted that the Pledge could apply to just about any nation. He felt that the pledge should reflect the American spirit and way of life as defined by Lincoln.

After the service concluded, Docherty had opportunity to converse with Eisenhower about the substance of the sermon. The President expressed his enthusiastic concurrence with Docherty’s view, and the very next day, Eisenhower had the wheels turning in Congress to incorporate Docherty’s suggestion into law. On February 8, 1954, Rep. Events 421 - Constantius III becomes co- Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Year 1954 ( MCMLIV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar) Charles Oakman (R-Mich.), introduced a bill to that effect. Charles Gibb Oakman ( September 4, 1903 - October 28, 1973) was a politician from the U Michigan ( is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. On Lincoln’s birthday, four days later, Oakman made the following speech on the floor of the House:

Rev. Dr. George MacPherson Docherty (left) and President Eisenhower (second from left) on the morning of February 7, 1954 at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church; the morning Eisenhower was convinced that the pledge needed to be amended

Last Sunday, the President of the United States and his family occupied the pew where Abraham Lincoln worshipped. George MacPherson Docherty (born 1911 was a principal instigator of the addition of the words "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States Events 457 - Leo I becomes emperor of the Byzantine Empire. 1074 - Battle of Montesarchio in which the Prince Year 1954 ( MCMLIV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar) The New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington DC, is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA. The pastor, the Reverend George M. Docherty, suggested the change in our Pledge of Allegiance that I have offered [as a bill]. Dr. Docherty delivered a wise sermon. He said that as a native of Scotland come to these shores he could appreciate the pledge as something more than a hollow verse taught to children for memory. I would like to quote from his words. He said, 'there was something missing in the pledge, and that which was missing was the characteristic and definitive factor in the American way of life. ' Mr. Speaker, I think Mr. Docherty hit the nail square on the head.

Senator Homer Ferguson, in his report to the Congress on March 10, 1954, said, "The introduction of this joint resolution was suggested to me by a sermon given recently by the Rev. Homer Samuel Ferguson ( February 25, 1889 &ndash December 17, 1982) was a United States Senator from Michigan. Events 241 BC - First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates Islands - The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing Year 1954 ( MCMLIV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar) George M. Docherty, of Washington, D. C. , who is pastor of the church at which Lincoln worshipped. " This time Congress concurred with the Oakman-Ferguson resolution, and Eisenhower opted to sign the bill into law on Flag Day (June 14, 1954). Events 1276 - While taking exile in Fuzhou in southern China, away from the advancing Mongol invaders, the remnants of the Year 1954 ( MCMLIV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar) The fact that Eisenhower clearly had Docherty’s rationale in mind as he initiated and consummated this measure is apparent in a letter he wrote in August, 1954. Paraphrasing Docherty’s sermon, Eisenhower said

These words [“under God”] will remind Americans that despite our great physical strength we must remain humble. They will help us to keep constantly in our minds and hearts the spiritual and moral principles which alone give dignity to man, and upon which our way of life is founded.

Docherty’s sermon was published by Harper & Bros. in New York in 1958 and President Eisenhower took the opportunity to write to Dr. Docherty with gratitude for the opportunity to once again read the sermon.

Criticism of requiring or promoting the Pledge

Main article: Pledge of Allegiance criticism

Government requiring or promoting of the Pledge has drawn criticism and legal challenges on several grounds. Prominent legal challenges have been based on the contention that state-sponsored requiring or promoting of the Pledge is unconstitutional because it violates one or both of the religion clauses in the First Amendment. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the United States Bill of Rights that expressly prohibits the United States Congress

Central to challenges in the 1940s were Jehovah's Witnesses, a group whose beliefs preclude swearing loyalty to any power lesser than God, and who objected to policies in public schools requiring students to recite the Pledge. Jehovah's Witnesses is a restorationist, millenialist Christian denomination God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. They objected on the grounds that their rights to freedom of religion as guaranteed by the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment were being violated by such requirements. Freedom of religion is the freedom of an individual or community in public or private to manifest religion or belief in teaching practice worship and observance The Free Exercise Clause is the accompanying clause with the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Other objections have been raised since the addition of the phrase "under God" to the Pledge in 1954. Many critics contend that a government requiring or promoting this phrase violates protections against establishment of religion guaranteed in the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. An established church is a church officially sanctioned and supported by the government of a country e The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment refers to the first of several pronouncements in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, stating that "

In a 2002 case brought by atheist Michael Newdow, whose daughter was being taught the Pledge in school, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the phrase "under God" an unconstitutional endorsement of monotheism when the Pledge was promoted in public school. Michael Arthur Newdow (born June 24 1953 in New York City) is a Sacramento California attorney and Emergency medicine Physician The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is a federal court with Appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts In 2004, the Supreme Court heard Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow, an appeal of the ruling, and rejected Newdow's claim on the grounds that he was not the custodial parent, and therefore lacked standing, thus avoiding ruling on the merits of whether the phrase was constitutional in a school-sponsored recitation. The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the United States and leads the federal judiciary. Newdow v United States Congress Elk Grove Unified School District et al On January 3, 2005, a new suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California on behalf of three unnamed families. Events 1431 - Joan of Arc is handed over to the Bishop Pierre Cauchon. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The US District Court for the Eastern District of California is composed of six divisions On September 14, 2005, District Court Judge Lawrence Karlton ruled in favor of Newdow. Events 81 - Domitian becomes Emperor of the Roman Empire upon the death of his brother Titus. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Citing the precedent of the 2002 ruling by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Judge Karlton issued an Order stating that, upon proper motion, he will enjoin the school district defendants from continuing their practices of leading children in pledging allegiance to "one Nation under God" ^[2].

In 2004, linguist Geoffrey Nunberg criticized the addition of "under God" for a different reason. Geoffrey Nunberg (born 1945 is an American linguist and a professor at the UC Berkeley School of Information. The original supporters of the addition thought that they were simply quoting Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. The Gettysburg Address is a speech by US President Abraham Lincoln and one of the most quoted speeches in United States history. However, Nunberg said that to Lincoln and his contemporaries, "under God" meant "God willing" and they would have found its use in the Pledge of Allegiance grammatically incorrect. ^[3][4]

A bill — H. For other uses see Bill. A bill is a proposed new law introduced within a Legislature that has not been ratified, adopted R. 2389 — was introduced in Congress in 2005 which, if enacted into law, would have stripped the Supreme Court and most federal courts of the power to consider any legal challenges to government requiring or promoting of the Pledge of Allegiance. H. R. 2389 was passed by the House of Representatives in July 2006, but failed due to the Senate's not taking it up. Even if a similar bill is enacted, its practical effect may not be clear: proponents of the bill have argued that it is a valid exercise of Congress's power to regulate the jurisdiction of the federal courts under Article III, Section 2 of the Constitution, but opponents question whether Congress has the authority to prevent the Supreme Court from hearing claims based on the Bill of Rights (since amendments postdate the original text of the Constitution and may thus implicitly limit the scope of Article III, Section 2).

In 2006, in the Florida case Frazier v. Alexandre, No. 05-81142 (S. D. Fla. May 31, 2006) "A federal district court in Florida has ruled that a 1942 state law requiring students to stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the U. Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. S. Constitution, even though the law allows students to opt out, because they can only do so with written parental permission and are still required to stand during the recitation. (case description ruling)

Comical Uses

• In many films, the pledge of allegiance is used as a mental distraction to undo an erection. The erection of the Penis, Clitoris or a Nipple is its enlarged and firm state The joke has been used in numerous films including My Girl (film) and Bubble Boy
• In the mockumentary C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America the pledge of allegiance was changed to:

"I pledge allegiance to the flag Of the Confederate States of America And to the republic for which it stands One nation under God, Indivisble with liberty and justice for all. My Girl is a 1991 Coming-of-age dramatic comedy starring Dan Aykroyd, Jamie Lee Curtis, Macaulay Culkin and Anna Chlumsky Bubble Boy is a 2001 Comedy film directed by Blair Hayes and stars Jake Gyllenhaal in the title role Mockumentary (also known as a pseudo-documentary) a Portmanteau of Mock and documentary, is a film and TV Genre, or a single work CSA The Confederate States of America is a 2004 Mockumentary directed by Kevin Willmott. . . White People Amen"

See also

• Pledge of Allegiance criticism
• American's Creed
• Oath of allegiance
• Oath of Allegiance (Ireland)
• Oath of Allegiance (Canada)
• Panunumpa ng Katapatan sa Watawat (Philippines)
• Eight Honors and Eight Disgraces
• Bellamy salute

Notes

References

• Richard J. Ellis (2005). To the Flag: The Unlikely History of the Pledge of Allegiance (Lawrence: University of Kansas Press) ISBN 0700613722
• Title 4, Chapter 1 of United States Code
• "How 'Under God' Got in There," WASHINGTON POST
• Associated Press: "50 Years Ago, Sermon Spurred Putting 'Under God' in Pledge"
• "How the Pledge Got God," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
• "A New Birth of Freedom," Docherty's sermon, heard by Eisenhower, which led to the amendment of the Pledge
• Docherty's Sermon Manuscript, Feb. 7, 1954
• Minister Reprises "Under God" Sermon

External links

• Nonpartisan Overview of Under God debate
• The Pledge of Allegiance: A Brief Commentary
• Story of the Dr Pepper patriotic can
• More about the Dr Pepper patriotic can
• The Pledge of Allegiance - A Centennial History, 1892 - 1992