The US Pledge of Allegiance was written in 1892 by a Baptist Minister, Francis Bellamy. He wrote the Pledge in order to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Columbus discovering the New World, despite the fact that Columbus didn’t land on US soil. The original Pledge is simpler and doesn’t inspire the controversy of the current Pledge of Allegiance. Bellamy’s original text is the following: I pledge allegiance to my flag, and to the Republic for which it stands: one Nation indivisible, With Liberty and Justice for All.
Many schoolchildren learned the pledge for the 1892 celebration of Columbus Day on October 12. As they saluted the pledge they did so with the right hand upraised, very much like the salutation of respect among Nazis. Placing the hand over the heart came much later, after WWII had begun.
In 1923, the Pledge of Allegiance underwent slight alteration. The phrase “my flag” was changed to “the flag of the United States of America.” The most significant change occurred in 1958. After years of rallying by several Christian groups and prominent leaders, the words “one nation,” became “one nation under God,” quoting Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.
When people cite that it is time-honored to include “under God” in the pledge it’s important to remember the original Pledge of Allegiance did not contain these words. Furthermore, this is a fairly new addition to the Pledge rather than the “real pledge” as some people contend. Even without the reference to God in the Pledge of Allegiance, there were problems getting all students to learn it or say it.
For instance, Jehovah’s Witnesses believe it is against their religion to say the Pledge of Allegiance because it is considered idolatry. In 1940, the Supreme Court even ruled that public schools were well within their rights to compel people to learn and say the pledge. This decision wasn’t reversed until 1943.
The next controversy with the Pledge was the addition of the words “under God.” This has remained a controversial issue since there are many Americans who do not worship a Christian God or choose not to worship at all. Several federal courts ruled this addition unconstitutional in the 2000s, and requirement of saying the Pledge is now optional. Some states have abandoned it completely, while other schools still recite it, but any student may opt out, usually with written permission from parents. They may request their children neither learn nor say the pledge.
Some countries have pledges that are similar. The most similar is the pledge to the flag in India, which is as follows: I pledge allegiance to the National Flag and to the Sovereign Democratic Republic for which it stands. .
Ireland for a brief time had an oath of allegiance. China has a sung pledge called the Eight Honors and Eight Shames (Ba rong ba chi), which is not their national anthem, but not pledged to a flag. Schoolchildren do learn the song, as of 2006. Other nations may have similar pledges or oaths taken upon office, but not that many actually pledge to a flag like India or the US.
