The Republic Founded Under God
A Republic Founded Under God
Everyone has a cause for which they will argue for or against. Often our cause is
based on fact from what we hear and read, whereas sometimes our cause is based on pure
emotions because it comes from our heart. I learned the Pledge of Allegiance from my
early school days, although at the time I was unaware of the meaning behind the words
and its history. The majority of Americans would take great offense if the words “under
God” were to be removed from the Pledge of Allegiance, and we were to buckle under to
the demands of a miniscule minority. To the majority of Americans, the Pledge of
Allegiance is just as sacred as the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, as are apple pie and
4th of July, things you just do not tamper with. The Pledge of Allegiance does not need to
be tweaked or compromised for anyone, and to remove the two words “under God”
would be like rewriting the Ten Commandments to accommodate those who are not of
Judeo-Christian faith. It works, do not mess with it.
A bit of history about the Pledge of Allegiance is needed to build the foundation
for my emotional and biased support of leaving it intact. It was originally written by
Baptist minister Francis Bellamy in 1892 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus
coming to America (Home). His pledge did not have the words “under God” but his
emotions were still strongly conveyed in what he wrote. His intentions were to
“effectively combine the meaning of historical points in our national history, from the
Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, ” (Baer, 1992).
“I pledge allegiance to my Flag of the Republic for which it stands, one nation
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all” (Home of Heroes, 1998).
In 1923 “to the flag of the United States“ was added because of the large number
of foreign children in the schools, and in 1924 “of America” was added (Home of Heroes,
1998). Twenty-two words have grown to thirty-one words over one hundred and twenty
years with the last addition in 1954 of the words “under God” (Home of Heroes, 1998).
One is constantly be bombarded with statements in the media that the Pledge of
Allegiance does not encompass all the immigrants, especially those of Muslim faith, who
have come here over the last few decades-- the Pledge is not politically correct, its words
do not hold any meaning for today‘s generationsI have heard them all. Well, if it were
not for previous generations who fought and died for this country, we would all be
speaking German on the east coast and Japanese on the west coast. If you do not like it
here, then go home. I will show you the door and don‘t let it hit you in the rear end as
you leave (my words).
These United States of America were founded by immigrants who came here for a
multitude of reasons, one being to escape religious persecution and to worship God as
they please, and another to escape intolerable living conditions in their homeland. People
are still coming here for the exact same reasons. Whatever the reasons, they chose to
come here and that includes respecting and embracing its traditions, one of those being
the Pledge of Allegiance. One does not go to another country and expect that country to
change its government, laws, and traditions for them, and then criticize those who do
not bow to them. Againif you don’t like it, leave.
It was President Abraham Lincoln who was first noted and frequently used “under
God” in his speeches, a phrase valued enough to be included in the Pledge of
Allegiance to reflect Lincoln’s ideals of a strong Republic and of those who founded this
country. For fifty-eight years the Pledge of Allegiance has gone unchanged since “under
God” was added in 1954. The Pledge of Allegiance encompasses and embraces all who
stand “under God” on the soil of these United States of America.
Reference List
Baer, J.W. (1992). A Pledge of Allegiance a Short History.
Oldtimeislands.org/pledge/pledge.htm.
Home of Heroes. (1998).
HomeofHeroes.com/hallofheroes/1st_floor/flag/1bfc_pledge.html.
