Which Pledge of Allegiance?

I received an email today. (Actually I have received no fewer than 10 so far.) This one was one of those cursed chain mail letters I thought went away when I stopped visiting chat rooms at the age of 16. The increased anonymity I have gained through my more hermit-like Internet behavior does not, unfortunately, protect me from people who know me. This chain mail was one of those absurd petitions people begin by signing with number 1 and passing it on to a dozen or so friends with instructions to sign under the next number and pass it on. Further instructions requested that the 2000th signer would pass the letter on to the appropriate recipient, (in this case, the President) in addition to his unsuspecting friends.

This concept of petition signing through chain letters defies logic to no end. Eventually there will be hundreds, thousands, even tens-of-thousands of permutations floating around out there, each with fewer than 2000 names, but collectively with many more than that. Once they begin to reach that 2000 mark, the common destination email box will begin to be flooded by thousands of different versions of the email with any combination of duplicated signatures. If someone were actually planning to take the letter seriously, he would have to go through the painstaking process of compiling each name and cross referencing each duplicate, to determine if there really are seventy-three George Smiths living in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, or if it was the same one each time.

This letter went a step further by being ridiculously vague. I quote:

"*_PETITION TO REINSTATE PLEDGE TO THE FLAG IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS_**Agree or Delete: Instructions to sign are at the bottom. **PETITION FOR PRES. BUSH* *PETITION TO REINSTATE PLEDGE TO THE FLAG IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS: *"

On the surface, it seems quite obvious what point the signers want to make. Simplicity can be nice, but complexity is often ignored in situations when it must be at least examined.

Assuming for a second that I was in charge of this decision, I would have several responses if people came to me asking me to “reinstate [the] Pledge to the Flag in public schools[.]” (Note: I capitalized “Pledge” and “Flag” because I assume they would be referring to a specific pledge and a specific flag. One of the many consequences of writing in all caps is that such distinctions are lost. People do it to emphasize their point, and end up losing clarity, which is far more important.) My first response would be: “Which one?”

As my fifth-grade teacher would frequently say, as we finished the morning recitation of a Pledge of Allegiance: “Get out your history books.” In 1892, the U.S. was preparing for the quadricentennial of Columbus’ landing. In preparation for the celebration, a Boston based magazine called The Youth’s Companion published a pledge that was to be recited by the nation’s youth on Columbus Day. The pledge, written by a former Baptist minister by the name of Francis Bellamy, reads as follows:

I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Francis Bellamy had begun working for The Youth’s Companion the previous year, after being pressured to leave his church post because of his socialist sermons. He was also the chairman of a committee of state superintendents for the National Education Association. It was through this position that he prepared the children for his pledge. The pledge was based on ideas from his cousin’s socialist utopian novels Looking Backward (1888) and Equality (1897), not exactly the breeding ground of good “old fashioned” American capitalism and “values.” It is also notable that the above pledge was written, not only by a Christian, but a Christian minister, who somehow did not get the memo from above to include “under God.”

That addition was not the next one to be made either. A “to” was added before “the Republic” in October of 1892. Bellamy had considered including the word “equality” as well, but worried about his colleagues on the superintendents' board, who were opposed to equality for women and African-Americans.

Against Bellamy’s objections, the National Flag Conference changed the words “my flag” to “the flag of the United States of America” in 1923 and 1924.

In 1942 Congress officially recognized the pledge. Those not alive to witness it, might be surprised to learn that, in 1943, the Supreme Court ruled that children could not be required to recite the pledge. This, to me, is one of the best examples that our freedom exists and that it is strong. For over sixty years, the Pledge of Allegiance has been legally optional, and that hasn’t stopped anybody from saying it. Clearly a constitutional requirement is not necessary at all.

It was in 1954 that congress added the words, “under God,” creating the version we are most familiar with today. Bellamy's daughter believed that her father would have objected to this addition as well. This was not because he was no longer believed in God, but he was decidedly at odds with many of his fellow Christians; enough to bring him to stop attending church because of his church’s racial bigotry.

I am assuming the petition I received was one whose supporters were hoping to have the “under God” version be the one reinstated. The fact that I had to assume anything is not a good sign. Petitions are only effective if they are clear about their intentions. This email falls well short of that goal. It might be more appropriately called a letter, though it is a somewhat pithy one even for that. If these people want to be taken seriously, I think they should take their goals seriously and put forth the proper effort to do it right. Even if I were in agreement with the other signers, I would likely not care to add my name to such a mediocre attempt at action.

Still assuming we are talking about the “under God” pledge, I find it curious that people would be working to reinstate such a pledge by attempting to overturn a ruling made eleven years before that version even existed. Those who complain that the pledge is not being required in schools because of issues with prayer in the classroom clearly need to return to that classroom for a history and math review. Many seem to desire this change in the interests of recognizing a national tradition. It is strange that people would be so adamant to preserve a “tradition” that, in a nation even as young as the United States, still has existed for less than a quarter of our existence. In the scope of world history, I find this issue to be more of a habit than a tradition.

I am a Christian. Many people in this country are. Many people in the country are not. Many liberals might be initially shocked to hear that I do not believe the sentence: “America is a Christian nation,” is inaccurate. It is not inaccurate; it is incomplete. In a country where we supposedly value “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth” we should be more keen to finish that sentence. America is a Christian nation, and a Jewish nation, and a Muslim nation, and an Agnostic nation… The list goes on and on, and we are nowhere close to being able to put a period at the end of it. I cannot, as an American, bring myself to believe that a nationally recognized pledge should be exclusive to anyone who is a rightful citizen for any reason. I cannot, therefore, in good conscience agree that the words “under God” should be a required part of the Pledge of Allegiance. I, for one, do believe that we are not only a nation under God, but also a world under God. But I don’t find that to be any less true just because the guy down the street doesn’t believe me. I also would see no problem in people adding those words on their own.

To determine a “correct” version of the Pledge of Allegiance, I believe we need to reexamine the history of the pledge in the context of national events throughout the same history. I am, usually, a purist. When somebody creates something I believe their authority is paramount above all others. Francis Bellamy disliked the change to “the Flag of the United States of America.” Further to my point that the pledge should be a personal choice, I find the words “my Flag” much more appropriate. Remember also that Bellamy considered including the word “equality.” He did not because of the state of human equality and opinion in 1892. Since then, we have fought our battles over civil rights. Positions have changed. I have no doubt that, if Bellamy were alive today, he would not hesitate for a second to include "equality". This would most likely result in this version:

I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible, with equality, liberty and justice for all.

“The flag is important, but if there weren't any, I wouldn't feel any less pride in America.” These were the words of my brother when we discussed this subject. I couldn’t really put it any better. Why pledge to a flag? It certainly has no actual power; it is merely symbolic. Should we not pledge to the country itself, with or without the flag? Would the pledge mean less without the flag? Does one need to be in a church to pray? Does a Christian, Catholic or otherwise, need to have a minister or priest present to confess his sins to God? Even if you believe it is necessary to confess to a priest, it does not mean you cannot confess at home as well. The most important words in the Pledge of Allegiance are: “allegiance,” “indivisible,” “equality,” “liberty” and “justice;” not “flag.” Some people, it seems, would knock down the White House with a wrecking ball trying to stop someone from painting it black. I don’t think the color was the important part.

With or without “under God.” I believe the Supreme Court ruling in 1943 should stand. The Pledge of Allegiance can be a profound declaration of patriotism, purpose, goals, and ideals. But it means nothing coming from someone who does not say it willingly. In fact requiring someone to say it would be to contradict the pledge itself. Anyone who is being forced to say a pledge for “liberty and justice” is pledging to rights he does not, at that moment, enjoy.

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Bibliography: Baer, John. 1992, “The Pledge of Allegiance A Short History” http://history.vineyard.net/pledge.htm “The original Pledge of Allegiance” http://www.usflag.org/history/pledgeofallegiance.html