“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.” The new generation recites these words every day before starting class, in many countries among the nation. There is a reason why these words are recited. They express the deeply rooted values and patriotism of the American people. In 1954, the phrase “under God” was added to the American Pledge of Allegiance, and it became the main source of many court cases throughout the years. Nowadays, these two simple but controversial words have caused a legal tangle with many court cases that mostly end up at the Supreme Court. For the most part, the debates revolve around the …show more content…
The number of the people who want the words “under God” to be removed from the Pledge has been increasing significantly. However, we can all agree that The Pledge was made to unite all Americans together, in order to fight any battles that may arise and put the nation in danger. These words were written to connect every American with each other without looking at any differences. Being misinformed about the history that brought the Pledge of Allegiance to be as it is today can lead to instinctive opinions. The Pledge of Allegiance has experienced a considerable measure of changes all through history. In 1892, the Pledge was composed by Francis Bellamy and it stated: “I Pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” During this year and the years that followed this particular pledge did not cause many debates and it was accepted widely. The key words of this Pledge were "indivisible," which was a reference to the Civil War and "liberty and justice for all," which supported a permanent balance of an individual’s freedom and equality. …show more content…
The reason why these words are added is to emphasize the political philosophy of our nation. Since I already listed the reasons of why these words are considered constitutional, I am going to analyze the Pledge to provide a better insight and what would happen if these words were to be removed. These are the main reasons of why I have such a strong agreement with these words to remain in the Pledge. Many people seem to believe in the fact that “under God” is a form of prayer. Indeed, a further look at the Pledge would provide anyone a clear explanation of what the Pledge consists of. In the Pledge it says: “I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States, to the Republic for which it stands for…” Americans are pledging allegiance to the Flag and the Republic of United States, not the God. The pledge does not consist in prayers to the God, it is a solemn promise to the Republic of United States. The Pledge continues like this: “…one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” The Pledge describes the United States as a Republic that stands united under God. This statement supports the natural rights that the Founding Fathers emphasized a lot. As previously mentioned, The Founding Fathers wanted this country to have liberty and freedom as fundamental values that come from God and no government could be powerful enough to take
After the Revolution, the country was left in an economic crisis and struggling for a cohesive path moving forward. The remaining financial obligations left some Founding Fathers searching for ways to create a stronger more centralized government to address concerns on a national level. The thought was that with a more centralized, concentrated governing body, the more efficient tensions and fiscal responsibilities could be addressed. With a central government manning these responsibilities, instead of the individual colonies, they would obtain consistent governing policies. However, as with many things in life, it was a difficult path with a lot of conflicting ideas and opponents. Much of the population was divided choosing either the
The United States Constitution is a national government that consist of citizen’s basic rights and fundamental laws. This document was signed on September 17, 1787 in Philadelphia by the majority of representatives. Today, the United States Constitution’s purpose is to supply a strong central government. However, before the United States Constitution was developed, many citizens did not support the constitution due to the fact that they found it contradicting and detached from the original goals of the Declaration of Independence. These citizens were known as anti-federalists. Fortunately, George Washington was a supporter of the constitution and had an enormous impact in the public support of the constitution. With a few adjustments, some
... Since its inception, the Pledge of Allegiance has been and is still used as a sign of respect to the country instead of a religious practice.
In the 2008 the United States Census Bureau, Self-Described Religious Identification of Adult Population, The Christian faith proved to be the more dominating religion out of all religions. So it would seem the words “Under God” would be beneficial for the majority, the Pledge of Allegiance allures and supports the loyalty of the majority of citizens. The nonbelievers of religion have had the right to not recite the pledge since 1943 but have been asked to quietly stand while the believers recite the pledge in its entirety. Even though leaving out “Under God” is not a difficult task we can clearly see a division has now developed, opposite of bringing the people together. Another example that shows the pledge allures and supports a loyalty to the majority of citizens, the acceptance and encouragement to keep ...
Why was the Declaration of Independence written? The Declaration of Independence was written in 1776. We all know that day as Independence Day. It was accepted on July 4, 1776. On that day, the United States had freedom. There was a long, hard process to get the Declaration of Independence where it needed to be. It took several people, and several reviews to get it just right.
Is there a constitutional right to burn the American flag? In Dallas, Texas there was a Republican Party for President Ronald Reagan as a re-nominated candidate for president. But the protesters were not so happy about the policies of the Reagan administration. Through the streets of Dallas protesters marched, causing damage to property. One protester named Gregory Lee Johnson doused an American Flag in kerosene and set it on fire. In Texas, desecrating an American Flag was a criminal offense. Johnson was arrested and charged with violating the Texas flag desecration law, so the U.S Supreme Court agreed to hear the case. We of the Majority opinion believe that there is a conclude that such conduct does not merit First Amendment protection also the flag itself may be used as a symbol, only in one direction which is the country, and it doesn’t matter if the flag has a deeply symbolic value.
Gwen Wilde wrote an essay on “Why the Pledge of Allegiance Should be Revised.” In this essay, Gwen believes that the words “under God” should be removed from the Pledge of Allegiance. Gwen informs us that the original Pledge did not include “under God” and the words were not added until 1942, therefore, the words can easily be removed. Although some changes have been made to make it clear that the Pledge of Allegiance is for the United States Gwen believes that the words “under God” do not show any support for our country and only make those who do not believe in God feel uncomfortable. Therefore, Gwen believes that “under God” is not appropriate for the Pledge and does not show that we are a Nation that is “indivisible.”
Many students all across America stand and salute to the flag every morning and repeat these words, “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, To the republic for which it stands, one nation, Under God, Indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” There are controversy behind these words of historical allegiance, and that is why many people are refusing to stand for the pledge. This nation was founded upon freedom and liberties, and with those liberties comes with the freedom to choose your religion. The words “Under God”
First, I would like to talk about the history of the Pledge of Allegiance. Many people today recite the Pledge of Allegiance but do not know the history that took place behind it. The Pledge of Allegiance was originally written more than a century ago. The original pledge was: I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic, for which it stands, one Nation, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all . The flag serves as a symbol of our country and its proud traditions of freedom and equal opportunity. In the 1920s, the National Flag Conferences replaced the phrase “my Flag” with “the Flag of the United States of America.” In 1954, Communist threats occurred causing Congress to add the words under God to the pledge. Then 12 years later, Congress reviewed the Pledge of Allegiance and added the words “Under God .” While reciting the Pledge of Allegiance it should be recited by standing placing your
The Pledge of Allegiance was introduced, “Under God” in 1954 during the McCarthy hysteria. Brooke further says that the Treaty of Tripoli of 1797 is very clear that the US nation was not founded under the Christian religion. Timothy Pickering, the Secretary Of State’s endorsed this treaty as well as President John Adams. When it was sent to the senate for ratification, it received a unanimous vote, which is among the few documents passed unanimously in the American senate. In fact, the document did not attract any debate or dissent.... ...
...ur creator in the foundation of this Christian principled nation. None of the founders would recognize the erroneous definitions applied to these words and phrases today by the judiciary.
that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain - that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
The Pledge of Allegiance has become a major issue for students, teachers, parents and lawmakers. The original intention of the pledge was not to stir up trouble, but for a celebration of Christopher Columbus discovery of the new world. The pledge is no longer thought of as a celebration, but an infringement on children's religious beliefs. Do you believe that children's rights are being infringed on? Some people believe that the pledge is a great honor for our country. It has shown, and provided us with great pride just like our American flag. The Pledge of Allegiance being recited in the public school system does not infringe on the students religious beliefs, but is a way for us to honor our country and everything that we have done to get to this point in history.
Before analyzing the above described controversy, we must first examine the history of the Pledge itself. Written by Francis Bellamy, it was originally titled the “Pledge to the Flag” and was created in the late 1800’s to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America. It originally read: “I pledge allegiance to my Flag and to the republic for which it stands, one Nation, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all” (McCarthy, 2005). Changes were later made to include the words “of the United States” and “of America” to indicate which flag was being referenced. The final changes to the Pledge came in 1954 when it officially became titled the “Pledge of Allegiance” and the words “under God” were added after “one nation.” This addition to the Pledge was meant to support the United States as a religious nation. While signing the law to put this change into effect, President Eisenhower said, “In this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country’s most powerful resource in peace and war” (McCarthy, 2005).
The pledge of allegiance violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. I believe that the pledge is mismatched with democracy and freedom which suggest that pledges of allegiance are features of dictatorial states like Nazi Germany.