The Pledge of Allegiance
.
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.

Flag Day is June 14
.
Francis Bellamy's original pledge of allegiance was much
simpler than the current one.

Changes were made in 1923-24 to add
"The United States of America"

and again in 1954
when an act of Congress included the words
"under God"

If you have an American flag, remember to display it
beginning June 14 through July 4th.

If you do not own a flag,
now would be a good time to purchase one.

          Francis Bellamy (1855-1932), a Baptist minister and a Christian Socialist, was the circulation manager for a Boston-based journal for students called The Youth's Companion, a leading family magazine.  His responsibilities for the paper was to promote patriotism and the flying of the flag over public schools.  As he was Chairman of the executive committee for the National Public School Celebration of Columbus Day in 1892, he visited President Benjamin Harrison and asked him to endorse the idea of the flag to fly over every public and private school house and the teaching of patriotism in the schools.

          On June 21, 1892, President Harrison signed the Proclamation that said "Let the National Flag float over every school house in the country and the exercises be such as shall impress upon our youth the patriotic duties of American citizenship!"

          These now famous words, first printed in The Youth's Companion in Sept. 8, 1892:

          On June 14, 1923, under the 'leadership of the American Legion and the Daughters of the American Revolution,' at the first National Flag Conference in Washington D.C., a change was made; for clarity, the words "the Flag of the United States" replaced "my flag."  At the second National Flag Conference held in Washington. DC. on Flag Day, 1924, they added the words "of America."

          It was not until 1942 that Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance.  One year later in June 1943, the Supreme Court ruled that school children could not be forced to recite it.  Today, only half of our fifty states have laws that encourage the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in the classroom.

          On June 14, 1954, after a campaign by the Knights of Columbus, a further change was made in the Pledge by House Joint Resolution 243 and approved by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.  An amendment was made to add the words "under God" and President Eisenhower 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 these spiritual weapons which forever will be our country's most powerful resource in peace and war."

-- On June 14, 1777, in order to establish an official flag for the new nation, the Continental Congress passed the first Flag Act:

-- Act of January 13, 1794 - provided for 15 stripes and 15 stars after May 1795.

-- Act of April 4, 1818 - provided for 13 stripes and one star for each state, to be added to the flag on the 4th of July following the admission of each new state, signed by President Monroe.

-- Executive Order of President Taft dated June 24, 1912 - established proportions of the flag and provided for arrangement of the stars in six horizontal rows of eight each, a single point of each star to be upward.

-- Executive Order of President Eisenhower dated January 3, 1959 - provided for the arrangement of the stars in seven rows of seven stars each, staggered horizontally and vertically.

-- Executive Order of President Eisenhower dated August 21, 1959 - provided for the arrangement of the stars in nine rows of stars staggered horizon tally and eleven rows of stars staggered vertically.

...Next ~ Star Spangled Banner ...Back ~ Independence Day ...Home ~ MeMa's Holiday House- Table of Contents