The Pledge of Allegiance

At a signal from the Principal the pupils, in ordered ranks, hands to the side, face the Flag. Another signal is given; every pupil gives the Flag the military salute—right hand lifted, palm downward, to a line with the forehead and close to it. Standing thus, all repeat together, slowly: "I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands; one Nation, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all." At the words, "to my Flag," the right hand is extended gracefully, palm upward, towards the Flag, and remains in this gesture till the end of the affirmation; whereupon all hands immediately drop to the side.

Above is the original procedure and version of the Pledge of Allegiance, as authored by Francis Bellamy in August 1892. Bellamy had considered using the word "equality" in the pledge, but decided against it since members of the pledge drafting committee were against equality for women and blacks.

In 1924, "my Flag" was replaced by "the Flag of the United States of America". By 1950, the raised hand salute had been replaced by placing one’s right hand over the heart. In 1954, "one Nation" was replaced by "one Nation under God". Currently wording and procedure are as follows:

The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, "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," should be rendered by standing at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. When not in uniform men should remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart. Persons in uniform should remain silent, face the flag, and render the military salute.

The words "under God" were ruled unconstitutional in June 2002; according to polls, a very unpopular sentence. An interesting different opinion (from a libertarian point of view) is aired in the Lighthouse.

The Pledge of Allegiance A Short History by John W. Baer
Pledging Allegiance to the Omnipotent Lincolnian State by Thomas J. DiLorenzo

Last modified 2005-10-01