The Front Pew
Religious vandalism, continued controversy over pledge of allegiance
The Associated Press reports that one of the "One Nation Indivisible" billboards recently erected in major North Carolina cities by a secular group was vanadalized over the weekend -- someone violating a number of Biblical precepts (to say nothing of the law) to add the words "Under God."
Inevitable? Maybe. Disturbing, definitely.
In June 2006 I wrote a piece for the News & Record about the origins of the pledge of allgiance and the controversy over -- and strange history of -- its wording.
In light of the billboard kerfuffle and the vandalism, I thought it might be nice to revisit it.
From that piece:
Last September, a U.S. District Court ruled that requiring the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional, largely because of the phrase "one nation under God." Ironically, that controversial line didn't appear in the original pledge , written by Francis Bellamy in 1892.
Almost from the day it was written, the pledge has been expanded, amended and debated. The true story of the pledge is a strange one full of colorful characters, ideological warfare and, at its heart, questions about what it means to be an American.
Bellamy, a socialist author and Baptist minister, was hired in 1892 to write the pledge by Youth's Companion, the nation's most popular magazine. It was part of the publication's campaign to sell flags to schools for the 400th anniversary of Columbus' discovery of America.
It was an immediate success - so much so that president Benjamin Harrison issued a proclamation adopting the pledge for use in public schools nationwide.
According to Bellamy, much of his pledge 's language came directly from the speeches and writings of Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson. He originally wanted to use Jefferson's favorite phrase from the French Revolution: "Liberty, equality, fraternity," but recognized the nation's overwhelming opposition to equality for women and African Americans. Bellamy considered true equality "too many thousands of years off in realization."
Though a devout man, Bellamy intentionally avoided overtly religious language to give the pledge a more inclusive feel. Bellamy often said he believed the most important part of the pledge was the "one nation indivisible" - and he opposed anything that detracted from national unity.
Interest groups pushed for changes to the pledge throughout Bellamy's lifetime and after his death. Despite Bellamy's objections, the pledge was amended twice: in 1923 to include the words "the flag of the United States of America" and in 1954 to insert "one nation under God."
The piece also included these fun facts and a handy time-line:
* Originally, students reciting the pledge gave a Roman-style salute - right arm extended upward toward the flag, palm down. With the rise of the similar Nazi salute during World War II, the gesture was changed in 1942 to the practice of placing a hand over the heart.
* Before Francis Bellamy's pledge , the New York City public schools had their own flag pledge , written by city auditor George T. Balch. This more religious and nationalistic version called for the Roman salute and read: "We give our Heads - and our Hearts - to God and our Country. One Country! One Language! One Flag!"
* Strong supporters of "state's rights" have long opposed the line "one nation indivisible" because of their belief that states should be free to secede from the union when and if it becomes necessary.
* In 1940, the Supreme Court ruled that public schools could not punish students for refusing the pledge . The decision was sparked by Jehovah's Witnesses who argued their religion forbid them to swear allegiance to anything but God.
* When Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill into law placing the words "under God" into the pledge , he stated: "From this day forward, the millions of our schoolchildren will daily proclaim in every city and town, every village and rural schoolhouse, the dedication of our Nation and our people to the Almighty."
TIMELINE
1892 Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister and socialist, writes the pledge for Youth's Companion magazine as part of a plan to market flags to American schools. After a proclamation (written by Bellamy) by President Benjamin Harrison on Oct. 12, the pledge becomes an American public school tradition.
1923-24 The National Flag Conference, backed by the Daughters of the American Revolution and American Legion, begins a campaign to change "my flag" to "the flag of the United States of America." The group contends this is necessary so that immigrants will pledge allegiance to the American flag and not that of their home country. The change is made against Bellamy's objections.
1940 The Gobitas family sues after their children were expelled from a Pennsylvania school for refusing to recite the required daily pledge . The family argues that as Jehovah's Witnesses they are prohibited from pledging allegiance to anything but God. The Supreme Court rules in the school system's favor, saying the promotion of national unity is important enough to require the pledge .
1942 The U.S. Congress officially recognizes the amended pledge of allegiance . With Nazis and fascists using the Roman salute, the pledge gesture is changed to a hand over the heart.
1943 Jehovah's Witnesses in West Virginia sue over the constitutionality of the pledge in public schools. This time the Supreme Court reverses itself, ruling 6-3 in favor of the Jehovah's Witnesses and disallowing any punishment for schoolchildren refusing to recite the pledge . The pledge continues to be taught and expected in many schools, and except in the face of challenges, the details are left up to individual schools.
1954 After a campaign by the Roman Catholic Knights of Columbus, Sen. Homer Ferguson sponsors a bill that would insert the words "under God" into the pledge . The phrase "nation, under God" comes from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. Bellamy's granddaughter says he would have objected to the change. The bill passed.
1999 The United States Senate passes a resolution to say the pledge before each day's session.
2002 Michael Newdow, an attorney and medical doctor, sues his daughter's California school district and the United States Congress over the constitutionality of teaching the pledge . Newdow is an atheist who objects to his daughter having to learn the pledge 's "under God" section. The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rules in Newdow's favor, calling the addition of "under God" an unconstitutional endorsement of monotheism.
2004 The Newdow case makes its way to the Supreme Court amid a firestorm of political controversy in which President George W. Bush and the entire U.S. Senate defend the established pledge . The court reverses the Ninth Circuit ruling, finding that Newdow, as a noncustodial parent, did not have the right to bring suit on her behalf. They declined to address the constitutionality of the pledge .
2005 Newdow, suing on behalf of three unnamed California parents and their families, wins an identical case in U.S. District Court in September. U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton cites Newdow's first case as precedent and rules that requiring the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional as it interferes with freedom "from a coercive requirement to affirm God." Derek Gaubatz, director of litigation for the Beckett Fund for Religious Liberty, vows to appeal the case, all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary.
THREE PLEDGES
• 1892 to 1923:
"I pledge allegiance to my Flag and to the Republic for which it stands: one Nation indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all."
• 1923 to 1954:
"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."
• 1954 to Present:
"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."
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