THE PLEDGE, PART 2

As published in the Newport (TN) Plain Talk
Release Date: Jul 21, 2011
Column Number: FM 1129

“THE PLEDGE, PART TWO!”

A couple of weeks ago, this space was dedicated to some pertinent minutia about the Pledge to our Flag; but I could not git ‘r done in five minutes; so I prevailed upon the good folk down at the Plain Talk and bought us five more minutes.

On September 8, 1892, a Boston-based youth magazine; “The Youth’s Companion” published a twenty-two word recitation for school children to use during planned activities the following month in the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ “discovery” of America (actually, he “discovered” the indigenous peoples that had already “discovered” America; but - anyway). Under the title, “The Pledge to the Flag”, the composition was the earliest version of what we now know as the Pledge of Allegiance”.

In the thirty intervening years, the United States had recovered from most of the devastating effects of the Civil War; and people were flocking to the “Land of Opportunity”. In the previous year alone, almost 500,000 immigrants had legally entered the United States through the “Barge Office” in Battery Park, New York; and on New Years’ Day of 1892, the “New Station” of the “Federal Bureau of Receiving at Ellis Island” had opened.

Two men interested in education and the planned Columbus Day celebrations were Francis Bellamy (an educator) and James Upham (a magazine editor). They lobbied Congress to approve and President Benjamin Harrison to announce “Presidential Proclamation 335” to make the public school flag ceremony the focal point of the celebrations. A month after the words were published, more than 12,000,000 school children across the nation recited the words for the first time.

In this way, our Pledge to the Flag was born; but like anything new, it took several years to “reach maturity” and underwent several changes along the way, all of which were objected to by either Bellamy or his descendants (after he died in 1931).

In its original 1892 form, the pledge was to be recited while rendering what became to be known as the “Bellamy salute” which began with the right hand over the heart, and at the words, "to the Flag," the arm was extended toward the Flag. During World War 2, that salute was so close to the “Nazi salute”, President Franklin Roosevelt pressed for Congress to change the salute to placing the right hand over the heart throughout the pledge. This law also applied to the position to assume when the National Anthem is presented.

The words, “Under God” have been a happy hunting ground for legal eagles looking for fifteen minutes of fame. The words had been suggested many times; but President Truman could never close the deal. However, after the war, the “times, they were a-changing” and President Eisenhower was well able to have those famous words included in 1954 in response to the Communist threat of those days. Thus, we have the thirty-one word Pledge we say today.

There have been several legal ranglings and official complaints generated by the Pledge; among them, a 1940 Supreme Court decision where certain religious groups lost their case that requiring students to stand and recite the Pledge amounted to “idolatry” (reversed in 1943).

Down through the years litigants of all shapes and sizes have tried to have those words eliminated under such grounds as: the words are “grammatically incorrect”, the words are tantamount to being a violation of government-sponsored religion, they endorse Monotheism, they violate the free speech of the students, they lead to the “establishment of a religion”, and just settled this past June was the denial that they lead to a violation of the civil rights of the students.

Please forgive me; but, do I sound warped to you? Have I missed a cog or skipped a gear somewhere in my education and training? I was “forced” to stand and face the flag and place my right hand over my heart and recite the Pledge – and I think I turned out all right.

Wait a minute; here’s something that has not yet been ligitagated. Does placing my right hand over my heart violate my “right” to be left-handed?????

God have mercy on our “Christian Nation”! In the meantime: “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”.


Tom Mooty serves as Senior Pastor of Newport’s West End Baptist Church; and can be reached with your comments at tommooty05@comcast.
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