The Pledge of Allegiance

Francis J. Bellamy● The Pledge of Allegiance was written by Francis Julius Bellamy. He was an

author, and editor, and an American Baptist minister.

Pledge Origins● The original Pledge of Allegiance was published in the September 8 issue

of a children’s magazine called, The Youth’s Companion as part of the National School Celebration of Columbus Day.

The Original Pledge● The 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.

In the Classroom● Francis Bellamy and James B. Upham, convinced the National Education

Association, to support The Youth’s Companion as a sponsor of the Columbus Day Celebration along with the use of the American Flag.

● By June 29, 1892, Bellamy and Upham had arranged for Congress and President Benjamin Harrison to announce a proclamation making the public school flag ceremony the center of the Columbus Day Celebrations.

The Ceremony● The Pledge was first used in the classroom on October 12, 1892 during the

Columbus Day observance that followed the opening of the World’s Columbian Expedition in Chicago, Illinois!

Not All HappyIn 1940 the Supreme Court in the Minersville School District ruled that students in public school could be compelled to swear to the pledge.In 1943 the Supreme Court reversed its decision because the ruling violated the first amendment.

I Object● One objection states that a Democratic Republic built on freedom should

not require its citizens to pledge allegiance to it.

● Also, the fact that the people most likely to recite the pledge, everyday, are small children in schools who cannot really give their consent or understand what the pledge means.

Added to the Pledge● Louis A. Bowman, an author from Rock Island, Illinois, was the first to

initiate the addition of under God to the pledge.● The National Society of The Daughters of the American Revolution gave

him an award of merit for the idea.● Bowman stated that the words came from Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,

and at a meeting on February 12, 1948, Bowmen led the society in swearing the Pledge with the two words added.

Changes to the Pledge● In 1923, the National Flag Conference called for the words, “My Flag,” to

be changed to “The Flag of the United States,” so that new immigrants would not confuse loyalties between their countries and the United States.

● A year later, the words, “of America,” were added.

RecognitionThe United States Congress officially recognized the Pledge for the first time on June 22, 1942 written as

“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.”

Adding onThe phrase under God was incorporated into the Pledge of Allegiance on June 14, 1954 by a joint resolution of Congress.

The Salute● The Bellamy salute was adopted in 1892, and removed on December 22,

1942.● The salute started with an outstretched hand toward the flag with the palm

down and ended with the palm up.● Because the Bellamy salute resembled the Nazi salute, President Franklin

D. Roosevelt instituted the hand over the heart gesture.