American Pledge of Allegiance

For every inhabitant of America, the Flag Day is a patriotic occasion that reaffirms for them their loyalty to the national flag and the nation. Go through this wonderful article to know what the American Pledge of Allegiance is all about. Whether at home or elsewhere, make sure to recite the Pledge of Allegiance at least once during Flag Day. You will feel good and rekindle your pride of being an American. If you like reading this article, click here and pass it on to all other Americans you know. Have a happy Flag Day celebration!

The great American Pledge of Allegiance is nothing but an oath of commitment to the national flag and the republic of the United States of America. It was originally composed in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister, and goes like this:

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

It is said that Bellamy composed it so short as to make others read it within 15 seconds. This pledge came out was first brought out on Sept. 8, 1892 in the juvenile periodical The Youth's Companion, of which Bellamy was an assistant editor.

Since 1892, the original pledge by Bellamy has been changed four times. In 1923, the pledge read:

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

It was the National Flag Conference that was instrumental in changing the words "my Flag" to "the Flag of the United States", for the benefit of new immigrants.

The pledge again underwent a modification in 1924 to be read as:

"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."

While the original pledge of Bellamy had been widely in use in public schools and ceremonies since its birth, it finally got its due on June 22, 1942 when the U.S. Congress officially recognized the composition, albeit in its modified form, as the official national pledge.

It was later felt that the divinity should also be included in the Pledge. Louis A. Bowman (1872-1959) was the man who first proposed the idea of incorporating the words "under God" into the composition and was justly rewarded when The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution gave him an Award of Merit as the conceiver of this idea. On June 14, 1954, the phrase "under God" was included in the Pledge of Allegiance by an amendment of the Flag Code of 1942 by a Joint Resolution of Congress.

The pledge now reads as:

"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."

The pledge is supposed to be uttered in an upright standing posture, facing the American national flag with the right hand placed over the heart as a mark of salute to the banner and as an earnest affirmation of the words recited. When not in uniform men should remove any non-religious headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart. Persons in uniform should remain silent, face the flag, and render the military salute.


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