At a signal from the Principal the pupils, in ordered ranks, hands to the side, face the Flag. Another signal is given; every pupil gives the flag the military salute — right hand lifted, palm downward, to a line with the forehead and close to it. Standing thus, all repeat together, slowly, "I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands; one Nation indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all." At the words, "to my Flag," the right hand is extended gracefully, palm upward, toward the Flag, and remains in this gesture till the end of the affirmation; whereupon all hands immediately drop to the side.
The Youth's Companion, 1892
Aiming to instill patriotism and obedience in children early on, Francis Bellamy, the socialist minister who penned the Pledge, made sure to keep it brief and with good cadence so it would be easily memorized.
Children across the nation recite it every morning:
“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.”
Even into adulthood, once you could begin to understand the meaning of the words you were saying, there was to be no room for debate.
“Liberty and justice for all”? Who could possibly claim to object to that? Which is exactly what Bellamy wanted.
But in reality, how many people even as adults actually think about what those words mean.
The original Pledge was accompanied by ‘the Bellamy salute’, which was dropped during WWII because the Nazis started using it (they copied the United States’ tactics to instill national pride and obedience).
The Nazi salute and the indoctrination of children? Yep, that was the US’s idea first.
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And yet there are still some people that get upset when children (or adults) refuse to offer the pledge... hmmm??
ReplyDeleteIs it patriotic to exercise your freedom NOT to pledge or socialist to conform and say it?