“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…
constitutionality of these words. The First Amendment to the Constitution states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…" Many people seem to think that the addition of the phrase to the American Pledge of Allegiance is counteracting the Establishment Clause. Throughout the years, there have been many cases where it has been requested for these two words to be removed from the Pledge.
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…
Later on, in 1923, the words “my Flag” were supplanted with “the flag of the United States of America.” During 1924, almost seventy percent of the states commanded that the Pledge ought to be recited in schools. This mandate was being discussed by a lot of parents, and the issue got worse when Franklin Roosevelt fully supported and endorsed the Pledge. One would think that conflicts would surely arise from this mandatory recitement. The first Supreme Court case holds the title West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette. The West Virginia Board of Education commanded everyone in the school to salute the flag, and for this salute to be part of all the activities in the school without any exceptions. Everyone was required to salute the flag, and there were consequences such as the expulsion of the people who refused to follow these mandatory rules. The Supreme Court ruled that the children, or anyone for that matter, should not salute the flag or say the Pledge because that violates the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment. The next crucial change was the addition of the phrase “under God” to the Pledge, in 1954. While the world was facing consequences of Communism, America wanted to highlight the distinctions of this country to the communist countries. Communist societies, being an atheist, believed that the absolute power should be left to the government and no higher power should be involved in anything. As Communism was affecting more countries all around the world, Americans needed to be united and the need for the liberty of expression was growing stronger. The only way for America to shift away from the Communist societies was to promote the opposite of what they promoted. This made America develop everyone’s expressions in their religious beliefs, and this lead the way for the phrase “under God” to be added to the Pledge. The majority of the Americans truly believe in keeping the words “under God” in the Pledge for several reasons. Firstly, the phrase “under God” is constitutional and it doesn’t refer to any specific religious. These two words are not put into the Pledge to convince people to go in a certain direction of religion. A Supreme Court judge, Justice Brennan established the first use of the term “ceremonial deism” in a case titled Lynch v. Donnelly. Justice Brennan said: “...I would suggest that such practices as the designation of "In God We Trust" as our national motto, or the references to God contained in the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag can best be understood as a form a "ceremonial deism," protected from Establishment Clause scrutiny chiefly because they have lost through rote repetition any significant religious content.” Therefore, words “under God” are constitutional, because they are following the concept of Ceremonial Deism. Furthermore, the history of America’s Founding Fathers is also the reason why these words ought to not be removed. Only in America, the nation's founders recognize that rights would be established in the society if protected under a code of law which was itself in harmony with a higher law. These laws are called Natural Laws, and these laws were a huge part of the writing of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson, one of the Founding Fathers, was the one that wrote about the separation of church and government. He was also the one who contributed greatly to the writing of the Declaration of Independence that states: “…We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” From this short text taken from the Declaration of Independence, it is very clear what the Founding Fathers believed in and what they intended when writing the Constitution and the Declaration. Leaders, governors, kings do not provide these rights, they are natural rights that come from God, or as the Founding Fathers said: the Creator. The Founding Fathers relied heavily on these principles while building this country and they believed in a higher power that unites this country together. Nonetheless, Atheists found this addition offensive and immediately requested for this phrase to be taken out because it interfered with the Establishment Clause. This brought many court cases, where the most known is the Newdow v. Elk Grave Unified School District and it is important to be noted. Newdow had a little girl in primary school where the children were asked to recite the Pledge every morning. He trusted that the Pledge must not be recited because the words “under God” were promoting a particular religion to his daughter and it is unconstitutional. The case was never solved by the Supreme Court because Newdown did not own a legal right to present what his daughter think of this issue. Newdow's case is exactly what the vast majority of the general population contends these days. They contended that the expression “under God” abused the First Amendment and the Establishment Clause. The supporters of Newdow and the general public who discover the Pledge of Allegiance unlawful is expanding altogether. Supreme Court has ruled in many cases regarding this issue that the Pledge defines this country’s political philosophy and it has been a representation of the sacrifices in the journey of America to gain religious freedom. Many people seem to believe in the fact that “under God” is a form of prayer and that is another reason why they ask for it to be removed. If atheists do not believe in a Creator, then why should they recite the words if they do not believe in them? They strongly believe that it is no more a unity, if most of the people do not become united under a higher power they do not believe in. In my opinion, I strongly agree with the majority of the Americans and the fact that these words are not unconstitutional.
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
them away. The freedom that comes from God is deeply rooted in American traditions and it has been a part of them before any other country knew what freedom and liberty was. The freedom that is taken for granted often nowadays is because this nation is united under God. As soon as these words are removed from the Pledge, the main reason for all these liberties will be gone. The country would be damaged in so many ways if these words were to be removed from the Pledge. Consequently, numerous individuals who consider the thought of the Pledge of Allegiance to be changed have not considered the outcomes. The positive values that religion offers would be eradicated from everything, and the government would turn into a frightful institution that one doesn’t know what to expect from. Definitely, everybody has their own thoughts regarding certain parts of the Constitution, however that doesn't make them unlawful. The idea of individual freedom would get to be harder to guard. Almost all of this country functions by having religious connections. For example, most of the holidays are religious and they would have to go because by taking out the phrase “under God”, the government would just start eliminating religion from everything. It is everywhere, even though many people are not able to see it. This country has its roots on the rights that are given from God. Every written document that was written by the Founding Fathers was influenced by the Natural Laws. Take religion out, and all is left is a plant with no roots, a country with no history.
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
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.
... 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.”
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice.”
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.
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”
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).
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.