Our Gift to you, your family and friends.                                                      Matthew 19:26
 

The Pledge of Allegiance

                             

"The Youth's Companion"                                                            September 8, 1892 Boston-based youth magazine  "The Youth's Companion" published a 22-word recitation for school children to use during planned activities the following month to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Columbus' discovery of America.   Under the title "The Pledge to the Flag", the composition was the earliest version of what we now know as the PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The first pledge read on October 11, 1892:                      I pledge allegiance to my Flag                            and to the Republic for which it stands:                      one Nation indivisible,                            With Liberty and Justice for all.

National Flag Conference; Washington, D.C.                                  June 14, 1923 After the Columbus Day celebration the Pledge to the Flag became a popular daily routine in America's public schools, but gained little attention elsewhere for almost 25 years.  Finally, on Flag Day - June 14, 1923, the Pledge received major attention from adults who had gathered for the first National Flag Conference in Washington, D.C.  Here their Conference agenda took note of the wording in the Pledge.  There was concern that, with the number of immigrants now living in the United States, there might be some confusion when the words "My Flag" were recited.  To correct this the pledge was altered to read:                      I pledge allegiance to my the Flag                            of the United States,                      and to the Republic for which it stands:                            one Nation indivisible,                      With Liberty and Justice for all.

National Flag Conference; Washington, D.C.                                 June 14, 1924 The following year the wording was changed again to read:                      I pledge allegiance to the Flag                            of the United States of America,                      and to the Republic for which it stands:                            one Nation indivisible,                      With Liberty and Justice for all. United States Congress                                                                        June 22, 1942 The Pledge of Allegiance continued to be recited daily by children in schools across America, and gained heightened popularity among adults during the patriotic fervor created by World War II.  It still was an "unofficial" pledge until June 22, 1942 when the United States Congress included the Pledge to the Flag in the United States Flag Code (Title 36).   This was the first Official sanction given to the words that had been recited each day by children for almost fifty years.  One year after receiving this official sanction, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that school children could not be forced to recite the Pledge as part of their daily routine.  In 1945 the Pledge to the Flag received its official title as: The Pledge of Allegiance

The White House                                                                                    June 14, 1954 The last change in the Pledge of Allegiance occurred on June 14 (Flag Day), 1954 when President Dwight D. Eisenhower approved adding the words "under God".   As he authorized this change he said:            "In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith             in America's heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen             those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country's most powerful             resource in peace and war." This was the last change made to the Pledge of Allegiance.  The 23 words what had been initially penned for a Columbus Day celebration now comprised a Thirty-one profession of loyalty and devotion to not only a flag, but to a way of life....the American ideal.  Those words now read:                      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. In 1892, 1923, 1924 and 1954 the American people demonstrated enough concern about the actual words in the Pledge to make some necessary changes.  Today there may be a tendency among many Americans to recite "by rote" with little thought for the words themselves.  Before continuing with our tour, let's examine these 31 words a little more thoroughly Thus it is that when you Pledge Allegiance to the United States Flag, You: *Promise your loyalty to the Flag itself. *Promise your loyalty to your own and the other 49 States. *Promise your loyalty to the Government that unites us all,      Recognizing that we are ONE Nation under God,      That we can not or should not be divided or alone,      And understanding the right to Liberty and Justice belongs to ALL of us.