Pledge of Allegiance: A Perfect Symbol of Hypocrisy

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Every morning over 75 million students around the nation recite the Pledge of Allegiance verbatim (Digest of Education Statistics). If one walks up to one of these students and asks them about the meaning and the origin of this pledge, what would they say? Nothing. However, even though more than a million students recite these words every day, not more than half probably know the true meaning behind these words. One cannot deny the fact that most of these children just want to get this pledge “over with” to continue talking to their peers. The Pledge of Allegiance has gone through several changes since Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister, wrote it in 1892. The pledge acts as a source of patriotism, national pride and controversy. The statement, “under God” has caused much controversy and has created a distinct line between the supporters and non supporters of the pledge. America, which famously provides one with true equality, ironically has a pledge that goes against its doctrine and foundations. The changes that occur throughout the years to the pledge that results in its undeniable controversy and losing value. The adjustments lead to the pledge’s undeniable ambiguity and the nation should revert to its previous 1924 pledge. Every day, while facing the flag, American students exhibit their loyalty to the country by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Written in 1892, during the 400th celebration of Columbus Day, the pledge used in “ceremonies that would culminate in raising of the flag” (Pledge of Allegiance). The creation of the pledge resulted from one sole event, the Civil War. Before the American Civil War of 1861, the American flag used to be a rare sight for many people. The Civil War resulted in the rise of patriotism an... ... middle of paper ... ...ual. Baer, John. The Pledge of Allegiance, A Centennial History, 1892 - 1992, Annapolis, Md. Free State Press, Inc., 1992. "The Pledge of Allegiance." The Pledge of Allegiance. Aug. 17 2006: n.p. SIRS Government Reporter. Web. 02 Apr 2012. Demar, Gary. "The Pledge of Allegiance Goes to Trial." American Vision. N.p., 04/10/2005. Web. 27 March 2012. Nunberg, Geoffrey. "I Pledge Allegiance To Linguistic Obfuscation." npr.org. npr, 30/03/2010. Web. 1 Apr 2012. United States. U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. Pledge of Allegiance. VA: , Web. Kline, Austin, “Defending ‘under God’ in the Pledge of Allegiance,” posted on the “About” website, March 30th, 2004, Drey, Riley. "Misguided Patriotism and the Pledge of Allegiance." LDS Liberty. Riley Drey, 24/11/2010. Web. 24 March 2012. Nunberg, Geoffrey. E-mail Interview. 3/4/2012.

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