The Pledge of Allegiance has become so familiar to Americans that it’s hard for us to believe it wasn’t written long ago by some Founding Father.
In fact, it’s about 100 years younger than the Constitution. The pledge was first published in a children’s magazine in 1892; has been revised several times since; and its author, Francis Bellamy, was considered a dangerous radical.
The Changing Pledge
It was first recited in public schoolhouses throughout the U.S. on October 12, 1892, as part of Columbus Day celebrations. But the version that children memorized 123 years ago was noticeably different from today’s.
Here’s the original version: “I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
In 1923, something called the National Flag Conference wanted to make sure that immigrants who said the pledge weren’t secretly swearing allegiance to the flag of their original country. They changed the words “my flag” to “the flag of the United States”— the “of America” was tacked on a year later. (This was the version Congress officially recognized in 1942.)
Then, in 1954, a Congressional Act inserted the words “under God” after “one Nation.” The legislators felt the addition would help the country in its ideological war with atheistic communism.
The Radical Author
What would Francis Bellamy think of these changes? He had originally written the pledge at the urging of the editor of The Youth’s Companion with the goal of instilling nationalism in children. He also hoped that, when recited by adult immigrants, the pledge would be a miniature civic lesson that would protect them from foreign ideas of disloyalty or revolution.
We might assume that, as an ordained minister, Bellamy would have approved of introducing God to his pledge. But Bellamy was also a socialist who believed that Christians should support workers’ rights and oppose powerful monopolies. Yet he kept both Christianity and socialism out of his pledge.
Bellamy became so outspoken in his support for Christian socialism that his congregation dismissed him from his post as minister.
Yet the Post found nothing too dangerous in the short items he wrote for their editorial page.
One of these items must surely have challenged Post readers of 1901. “The Wife as Business-Head of the Family,” which appeared in the September 14 issue, challenged the wisdom of husbands always being the chief breadwinner of the family.
Bellamy began with the fact that some husbands simply never succeeded in their careers. When this happened, both husband and wife had to adjust to a life of smaller prospects and fewer hopes.
Yet many wives had a talent for success that their husband lacked. He believed these women should pursue their careers without holding themselves back by pride or fondness for their husbands. If they lived in denial of her husband’s eventual failure, they limited their chance of saving the family by their own industry.
The author of the pledge wrote, “How much simpler it would have been had [the wife] shifted the responsibility of creative work to her own shoulders as soon as there was reason to suspect that she was fitted to bear it the better and more lightly of the two. A certain pride unquestionably would have suffered; but the family might have been a business success; her own place in the world might have been saved; and the children might have had their rightful chance.”
To suggest that a wife should advance her career over her husband’s would have been extremely challenging in 1901. It is still a challenging idea for some couples, 114 years later.
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Comments
The 1892 Pledge of Allegiance needs to be updated to reflect the what America is striving to achieve in the 21st century and beyond!
The following is a letter I wrote to President Biden and Vice President Harris.
WE THE PEOPLE
In order to form a more perfect union and provide a better future for our children and nation, the people need to know the truth.
Mr. President, I agree with you. Our Democracy is under attack by Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans.
We need to help reunite our nation with an updated and improved Pledge Of Allegiance!
To :
President Biden and Vice President
Harris
If the MAGA Republicans had a Pledge of Allegiance it would read:
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the divided States of America and the weakened Republic for which it stands. One nation under Donald Trump, divisible, with lies and hatred for all.
The 1892 version of The Pledge Of Allegiance, written by Francis Bellamy, is better than the MAGA pledge but it has it short comings also. It was written In 1892, a very sexist and racist period in our history. The 1892 version of the Pledge Of Allegiance contains those 1892 beliefs and policies because of how it is worded.
According to the Article, posted on the web, “The Marketing Of The Pledge Of Allegiance” (see below) and other articles, the reason the word “equal ” doesn’t appear in the 1892 Pledge is because the editors of the youth magazine that hired Francis Bellamy to write The Pledge thought it would be too controversial to imply that woman and black people were “equal”. This revelation exposes “FOR ALL” in the 1892 version of The Pledge IS A LIE !!!
I believe Mr. President, if you were to write a Pledge of Allegiance for the 21st century it would be very similar to the 21st century Pledge Of Allegiance I have written, because our Pledges would represent what you and the majority of WE THE PEOPLE of America are trying to achieve in the 21st century and beyond!!
In light of the many years that women and people of color have been considered inferior citizens, the current civil demonstrations, and the insurrection of January 6, 2021, it is an appropriate time to improve the equality and unity of our united nation .
IF NOT NOW WHEN???
Dear President Biden and Vice President Harris:
I am sure you know, change begins with education, the acquiring of knowledge and the TRUTH. If you truly want a better future for our children and America, I can use some help!!
Please update the 1892 version of the Pledge of Allegiance. Our children, WE THE PEOPLE, and government representatives should not be reciting a sexist/racist Pledge of Allegiance. (Read the paragraph at the end of this post.
How The Pledge became a racist/sexist pledge.)
Adding the word “EQUAL” is not enough to express what America is striving to achieve.
Proposed 21st Century Pledge 0f Allegiance
I Pledge Allegiance To The United States Of America… To Honor And Support Its Constitution, Its Flag And The Democratic Republic For Which They Stand.
One Nation, Under God, Indivisible, Guided By The People, Its Constitution, and Goodness.
With Equal Justice, Liberty and Citizenship Rights for Everyone.
Responsibility And Opportunity For Everybody!
How does this 21st century version of The Pledge Of Allegiance improve the 1892 version.
It is more inclusive. It includes everyone. The People that desire mention of a sprit and those people that don’t. It eliminates the sexist/racist problem. It better represents what we are trying to achieve as a nation. It begins the discussion about personal responsibility and citizenship responsibility. Human rights and corporation rights and responsibilities.
Equal Justice, Liberty, and Democracy cannot be maintained without truthful and responsible citizens.
One truth is, People who are irresponsible loose opportunity.
The 21st Pledge of Allegiance teaches our children when they become adults, they will have a say in what laws are passed. They will also learn many other rights and powers they will have if they are responsible adults. The message of the 21st century Pledge of Allegiance is its guidance to a better future and a more perfect union!!
Sincerely
Leonard C. Tekaat
How the 1892 Pledge became a sexist/racist recital
The following is a paragraph copied from the article “The Marketing Of The Pledge Of Allegiance”
“A socialist, Francis Bellamy, the author of The Pledge of Allegiance, wanted to include the words “equality” and “fraternity” in the pledge, but his editors rejected the idea on the basis that state superintendents opposed the idea of equality for women and African Americans (and therefore would not buy flags for the thousands of public schools.) Bellamy acquiesced, and on September 9, 1892, the original version of the Pledge of Allegiance made its debut in The Youth’s Companion magazine.“
Do you think it might be worth explaining somewhere how an article about 1890’s Francis Bellamy comes to be written by a 2015 Francis Bellamy?
Francis Bellamy, who am I?
The Pledge of Allegiance I wrote
To give the school children a why
The U.S.A. flag to promote.
The Republic for which it stands,
One nation indivisible,
With two hard to achieve commands –
Liberty and justice for all.
And so the kids did take the lead,
Pledging daily in public school
To be good citizens indeed,
Giving allegiance as a rule.
“Under God” later stuck in here,
Along with godless commie fear.