Pledge of Allegiance, Who do YOU Think Created It?

McKenzie Fink
Article 1
Stories of American Heroes
http://www.homeofheroes.com/hallofheroes/1st_floor/flag/1bfc_pledge.htmlHow the Pledge of Allegiance Was Created

The article is about how the Pledge of Allegiance was created and became a tradition for people. There are two possible authors of the original Pledge of Allegiance: James Upham and Francis Bellamy. Upham was an employee of the Boston Publishing firm. Bellamy was an educator who served as chairman of the National committee of educators and civic leaders who were planning the Columbus Day activities. To this day no one is sure who actually wrote it but we do know that the first version showed up in the Semptember 8, 1892 issue of "The Youth's Companion"and it has been edited quite a few times since then. In 1892, 1923, 1924, and 1954 the American people cared enough about the words in the Pledge to make necessary changes. Most people now just recite "by rote" and don't even think about what the words mean any more.

This article connects to what we are studying in class for a couple of reasons. It can almost be compared to the Constitution because like it, the Pledge of Allegiance is a living document for it has been "amended" many times. Also, it states a lot of rights for the people and expectations for the government like the Bill of Rights. For example, "...With Liberty and Justice..."means that people of the U.S. are afforded the freedom to pursue "life, liberty, and happiness." Also, each person is entitled to be treated justly and fairly according to proper law and principle. "for All" means that EVERY AMERICAN is guaranteed every right regardless of race, religion, color, or any other criteria. It also states that the government unites us all and we can, should, and will not be divided. Finally, the Pledge talks about what a citizen should do to have good citizenship. For example, promising your loyalty to the flag and the government and making sure to keep united with each other.

This article definitely applies to my life as a citizen because we recite it every day in school. The words represent everything our government is about. Whenever we say the Pledge, we are declaring our loyalty  and devotion to not only a flag, but a way of life; the American ideal. It is used daily to show our passion for our country and why it is so important for us to stay a single Republic. It is also reminds everyone that every citizen has rights no matter their race, religion, color, or any other criteria. We say the Pledge of Allegiance to remind us of what a citizen is, their rights, what our government and nation is, and what they stand for.

I don't believe that "Under God" should have even been added to the Pledge of Allegiance for many reasons. First of all, not every one in the country is going to believe in God especially because we have the right to freedom of religion. I feel as though adding this to the Pledge almost violates the citizen's first amendment because we are having people that believe in other religions recite something that contains belief about a religion they don't believe in. I also don't agree that Eisenhower should have added it because he believes God "is our most powerful resource." because for people who don't believe in God, they end up saying that their religion is not as powerful as God. It also makes us seem as though our country is favoring one religion over the other, also treading on the first amendment and not applying separation of church and state.