When I was younger, it was still common practice to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in school every morning. It was part of the school day and something that everyone did. It was American.
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.Then in recent years, people became offended by the phrase, "under God." These people did not want their children to be forced to mention the word God. They claimed that according to the Constitution there must be a "separation of church and State."
Despite the fact that there is no mention of a "separation of church and State" in the Constitution is besides the point. The fact that we pledge to support a constitutional republic (which is different from a democracy) is another. Those are topics for another discussion. What I what to focus on is the Pledge of Allegiance itself. Should have we even started to pledge allegiance in the first place?
People from both sides of the 'for' or 'not for' camps fight viciously for their causes, but I wonder if they even know the history of the controversial Pledge of Allegiance. The Pledge of Allegiance was not the first thing recited by Americans on September 3, 1783, immediately after gaining independence from the English. No, the Pledge of Allegiance was not the brain child of any of the Founding Fathers. It was not written until 1892. That is 109 years after the Revolutionary War.
So, for 109 years there were American citizens roaming the streets who had never pledged their allegiance to the flag. I think we did pretty well over the years without it. Some might dispute that argument with the whole War Between the States (1861-1865); but yet again, that war was fought over the question of big government verses State's rights and is a discussion for another time.
Back to the 1892 Pledge. At that time, it did not even contain the words "under God" in it. That addition is a result of the Cold War and was added in the 1950s. Democratic countries in the west wanted to one up the Soviets by showing that we allowed free people the ability to worship God freely. Take that you Communists!
The first Pledge of Allegiance recited by school children occurred on October 12, 1892 for a Columbus Day program. They raised the American flag and said the Pledge of Allegiance. This whole event was thanks to three dedicated individuals, Daniel Ford, James Upham, and Francis Bellamy.
Basically, they noticed that only military bases flew the American flag. They realized that most schools neither had a flagpole or a flag to fly. This coupled with many immigrant children filling our schools, they felt it important to raise a spirit of patriotism among the youth. The rest is pledging history.
So, should we continue this tradition in our schools? There are many posts asking if our children should recite the pledge of allegiance.
In my opinion, children should be taught the Constitution and recite the Bill of Rights. Our children should be taught the civic principles that our founding generation fought and died for. They should understand the difference between a constitutional republic and a democracy. They should be learning about the check and balance system of the American government system, the Federal, the State, and the People. They should be taught to understand what liberty really means.
Then we will raise Americans who will support and defend the flag and the freedom it represents.
