How Has The Pledge Of Allegiance Changed

September 8th, 1892 was the day the Pledge of Allegiance was published for all of America to see. Over a hundred years later and this pledge is one of the most memorable pieces of American history. Today the pledge is used in schools for the students to say right before school starts. Every morning all schools tell their students to stand up and say the pledge. Even though it is highly enforced by most schools, the students are not forced to say the pledge or even stand for it.

I Pledge Allegiance, by Chris Lynch, is a book about the troubles a young teen named Morris goes through when he and his three life long best friends from Boston, Rudi, Ivan, and Beck find out that Rudi is being drafted into the military to go and fight in Vietnam. Once the Morris, Ivan, Beck, and Rudi find out that one of them is being drafted they all make a pledge to join the military and do whatever it takes to protect each other and keep each other safe.

“Pledge Allegiance to our Flag” were all saying this words everyday in our lives. Our parents teaching us to say “Pledge Allegiance to our Flag” until we knew how to speak, we growing up become toddler, kid, teen and adult we all know this important words.

The Pledge of Allegiance has gone through several changes since it was written over one hundred years ago, but none of these changes have had as much controversy attached to them as the addition of “under God.” Written in 1892 by a minister named Francis Bellamy, the pledge was written for a national patriotic school program, in which children throughout the country would recite his words while facing the American flag. Words have been added, phrases have been altered for clarity, and even the correct way to salute the flag has been changed. While the vast majority of these changes were important, for example the salute being changed from a Nazi-esque extended right arm to the child’s hand over their heart, “under God” does not add anything of meaning to the Pledge. This phrase is not a necessary or beneficial part of the Pledge of Allegiance and should be removed by the President.

Gwen Wilde’s essay “Why the Pledge of Allegiance Should Be Revised” highlights key reasons why the Pledge of Allegiance should be changed to be less divisive towards Americans who do not believe in a God. Wilde begins her essay by informing the audience of the countless alterations the pledge has gone through over the years. The earliest version of the pledge, which was published in 1892, left out the words “under God.” The words “under God” were not added until 1954 when president Dwight D. Eisenhower approved the pledge we all know today. Wilde goes into detail about the hypocrisy illustrated within the Pledge of Allegiance. She explains how the words “under God” are needlessly divisive in a nation that is said to be indivisible. However,

"I pledge allegiance, to the flag, of the United States of America, and to the Republic, for which it stands, one nation, under Congress, the Supreme Court, the Declaration of Independence, our founding fathers, and the President, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

"I pledge allegiance to my flag and the republic for which it stands, one nation

Seventy-three years ago, Congress put the United States in a difficult situation. It concerned the Pledge of Allegiance. They decided to add the phrase “Under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance which started a great amount of controversy among people. Some people argument that since “under God” was never a part of the original Pledge of Allegiance and many US citizens don't believe in a god at all. Any pledge they may make 'under god' would be irrational and irrelevant. But the rest have a different idea about the problem. They believe the U.S. is a nation founded by religious persons and Americans are joined by great ties to multiple religions, so there should be no separation of church and state. They want to keep the “Under God” in the pledge. Gwen Wilde, a student at Tufts University, explains this issue in her essay, “Why the Pledge of Allegiance Should Be Revised”. She says “the addition of the words ‘under God’ is inappropriate, and they are needlessly

Most children that attended grade school can remember reciting the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of every school day, but few actually know the origin of it. In August 1892 a socialist, Minister Francis Bellamy wrote the Pledge hoping it would be utilized by citizens in any country. Since then it has had parts added to it and the way it was practiced has been changed, now placing a right hand over the heart and facing towards the flag of the United States. Little did he know the impact it would have on America in the late 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century. Now that America is so influenced with different races and religions people believe the Pledge has crossed the line in the first Amendment of the Constitution of

All Americans are familiar with the Pledge of Allegiance, even if they cannot always recite it perfectly, but probably relatively few know that the original Pledge did not include the words “under God.” The original Pledge of Allegiance, published in the September 8, 1892, issue of the Youth’s Companion, ran thus: I pledge allegiance to my flag, and to the Republic for which it stands: one Nation indivisible, with Liberty and justice for all. (Djupe 329) In 1923, at the first National Flag Conference in Washington, DC, it was argued that immigrants might be confused by the words “my Flag,” and it was proposed that the words be changed to “the Flag of the United States.”

Why the pledge of allegiance should be revised, by Gwen Wilde, is a very well written essay that the reader would most likely deem convincing. Gwen Wilde states that the Pledge in its latest from simply requires all Americans to say the phrase “one nation, under God,” when many Americans do not believe in God. She uses many different writing strategies to get her point across in a very precise and appropriate manner. Although there are some minor problems, this analysis will explain how Gwen Wilde uses certain writing strategies that are able to back her argument with a very convincing approach.

Everyday, all across America, schools say The Pledge Of Allegiance. This is considered one of the most controversial topics in America because of its religious views. The statement “One nation, Under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all” causes the most controversy, mostly from religious standpoints. Just because there are many different religions in America that do not worship God, that does not mean we have to take it out all together.

As a daily routine many schools have their students start by standing up, facing the American flag, and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. This is something that most students have memorized since kindergarten and in some cases even preschool. The students recite the pledge every morning and most of them don’t know what it means or aren’t really sure why they have to say it. If students don’t know what the purpose or the history behind something is, they generally don’t take the matter seriously, which with The Pledge being a serious matter, students need to know the history in order to show respect. The Pledge of Allegiance should be said every morning by students at schools in the USA and they should be aware of its meaning.

Across California, schools are no longer are required to recite The Pledge of Allegiance in public school, but outside its mandatory. Studies have shown that this has no effect on the children, no matter what test scores the school has. The choice of whether to teach it or not, is up to the principals or teachers of the school, nevertheless the school is still required schools are required to have a “patriotic exercise” everyday. There have not been any particular differences between schools that teach it and schools that do not. Parents do not seem to mind their child not knowing the pledge, for example Todd Davis. His fifth grade son knows the pledge by heart and in two languages, but his second grade daughter did not know what it was. David shrugged it of not caring because there is no necessity

In the work “Why the Pledge of Allegiance Should Be Revised,” the author, Gwen Wilde expresses her feelings of why the words “under God” are inappropriate and needlessly divisive (56). Wilde begins the essay with giving the readers a history on the pledge. She begins by telling the readers that the original pledge, that was published on September 8, 1892, did not include the words “under God.” She also gives the point of how in 1923 at the first national Flag Conference, it was argued that immigrants could get confused by the wording of the pledge. The pledge was finally sanctioned in 1954 after President Dwight D. Eisenhower approved adding the words “under God” (56).