Content Objectives
I Pledge Allegiance
From the first words of the Pledge of Allegiance we understand that we are charged with two things. We are asked to promise and give our loyalty to our country. In August 1892 Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister from upstate New York, wrote the Pledge of Allegiance. The pledge was originally published in The Youth’s Companion, a family magazine with half a million subscribers, on September 8, 1892. Bellamy began working at Youth Companion in 1891 when Daniel S. Ford, principal owner and editor, hired him. As part of Bellamy’s duties in the promotions department, he worked on arranging a patriotic program for schools to assist with the celebration of the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ arrival to land that we now call the United States of America. A very important part of the program was a salute to the flag for school children to recite together. On October 21, 1892 school children celebrated Columbus Day and for the first time the Pledge of Allegiance was recited.1 In its original form the words of the pledge were:
“I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
Bellamy wrote the pledge with hopes that citizens in any country could use it, but the pledge has since changed twice. In 1923, the words, "the Flag of the United States of America" were added. This was added so immigrant children would be clear as to which flag they were saluting. At this time it read:
"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."
In 1954, in response to the Communist threat of the times, President Eisenhower encouraged Congress to add the words "under God," creating the 31-word pledge we say today. Bellamy's daughter objected to this alteration. She knew it was not her father’s intent to make it a religious document. Today it reads:
"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." 2
To the Flag of the United States of America
One of the most common symbols seen throughout the United States is the American flag. It is a symbol of pride and motivation for millions of citizens. It represents freedom and someone’s ability to speak up for the things they believe in. It embodies the strength and courage of American citizens. We look at the flag with respect and visions of our past and hopes for our future. “The Star Spangled Banner,” America’s national anthem, was written in dedication to the flag. While the flag is flown during times of joy and excitement like sporting events, it is also displayed during solemn moments. Flags are often flown at half-staff or half-mast in memory of those who have died. American explorers plant flags at their destinations as a sign that they have been there. The American flag is one of the first United States symbols many children encounter. In 1923 a National Flag Conference was held in Washington, D.C. During the conference provisions recognized that the flag ‘represents a living country and it is itself considered a living thing.’ These provisions became part of the Flag code, which was a federal resolution in 1947.3
The origins of the American flag still remain a mystery. The designer is believed to have been Francis Hopkinson, a congressman, who was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Betsy Ross sewed one of the earliest versions of the flag for the Pennsylvania Navy in 1777, but it is still a mystery who made the very first flag. There have been many variations in the physical appearance of the flag. In the early years of the flag there were no guidelines about how the stars, stripes, or the blue field on the flag should be arranged which led to flags that were not proportional.
Each year on June 14 we celebrate Flag Day. On June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress passed its Flag resolution intended to establish a design of an ensign to be used on boats during the Revolutionary War: ‘ Resolved: that the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the unison be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.” 4 Throughout the years there have been several orders pertaining to the flag. On June 24, 1912 the Executive Order of President Taft 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. The executive orders of President Eisenhower provided for the arrangement of the stars in seven rows of seven stars each, staggered horizontally and vertically (January 1959) and provided for the arrangement of the stars in nine rows of stars staggered horizontally and eleven rows of stars staggered vertically (August 1959). 5
The flag we pay homage to today consists of fifty stars and thirteen stripes. The thirteen horizontal stripes alternate between seven red stripes and six white stripes. The thirteen original colonies are represented through the stripes. The flag also hosts fifty stars. The stars represent the fifty states. A resolution regarding the Great Seal of the United States defined the meanings of the country’s colors several years after the flag was designed. Red stands for hardiness and courage, white for purity and innocence, and blue for vigilance, perseverance, and justice.6
And to the Republic for which it stands
What stands for the republic, besides the flag? In the United States of America, symbols represent the republic. They are visual representations of the ideals we believe in. Symbols often remind us our bond as citizens. They remind us our strength and our freedom. The bald eagle, the liberty bell, and the statue of liberty are three well-known symbols.
The Bald Eagle
The bald eagle is our national bird. The bald eagle was first introduced to the nation on the great seal. A resolution from the July 4, 1776 meeting, which declared America independent, called for a seal for the United States of America. They wanted an image for the people of the nation that represented freedom and their hopes for the future. 14 men worked on the seal. It was the idea of William Barton to add an eagle to the seal. The original eagle was an Imperial eagle. Charles Thomson, secretary of congress in 1782, put emphasis on the eagle and wanted the seal to be completely American. He replaced the Imperial eagle, which is found in Europe and Asia, with the Native American bald eagle. 7
The bald eagle is the only eagle that is indigenous to North America. Bald eagles are usually found along the coast. Bald eagles are not bald. The word bald refers to the white head on the eagle. The feathers that cover the top of their heads are white. Their chest and backs are a dark brown color. The neck, tail, and hand are white while the beak is yellow. Bald eagles live between fifteen and twenty years. They weigh ten to fourteen pounds. Bald eagles are at the top of the food chain.
So why exactly was the bald eagle chosen as the national bird? Is it because of its strength? Author Maude Grant said, “It is said the eagle was used as a national emblem because, at one of the first battles of the Revolution the noise of the struggle awoke the sleeping eagles on the heights and they flew from their nests and circled about over the heads of the fighting men, all the while giving vent to their raucous cries. ‘They are shrieking for Freedom,’ said the patriots. Thus the eagle, full of the boundless spirit of freedom, living above the valleys, strong and powerful in his might, has become the national emblem of a country that offers freedom in word and thought and an opportunity for a full and free expansion into the boundless space of the future.” 8 On June 20, 1782, the bald eagle became the national emblem of the United States.
The Liberty Bell
In the heart of Philadelphia in Independence Square sits a bell that you cannot ring and you cannot touch. It is the Liberty Bell. The Liberty Bell is a symbol of freedom. We know bells are often rung to make important announcements or to get someone’s attention. The Liberty bell is a reminder of the hard fight America went through to be free. It was originally located at the top of the State House, which is where the Declaration of Independence was first discussed. On the day the Declaration of Independence was read bells rang throughout the thirteen colonies informing people of the news.
Statue of Liberty
The statue of liberty is a symbol of freedom for Americans and immigrants. It was a gift from France to commemorate the Declaration of Independence. Historian Edouard Rene Lefebvre suggested that a monument should be donated to celebrate America’s Independence Centennial in 1876. It is also a symbol of friendship between France and America. Bedloe Island was chosen as the destination for the statue because it was adjacent to Ellis Island. Ellis Island is where immigrants were processed prior to being granted access to the United States. On October 28, 1886 there was an inauguration ceremony for the Statue of Liberty.9
One Nation under God indivisible
In the famous words of Abraham Lincoln, "A house divided against itself cannot stand." These words were written in his House Divided Speech delivered on June 16, 1858. He wrote this speech during a time when congress was divided in their opinions as to whether or not slaves should be free. During the civil war the nation was divided into southern states that believed we should keep slavery and northern states that believed slavery should be abolished. These divided thoughts led to fighting within the nation.
The notion of being one nation speaks to the unity we were supposed to have. The word indivisible means nothing and no one should be able to break us apart. In order for the United States of America to be prosperous as a country we need to be united. Individuals, communities, businesses, and government need to work together for us to build a united nation. We need to respect one another, listen to each other, help one another, follow directions, and be responsible. One nation is defined as a country where everyone plays his part: “A country where everyone has a stake; a country where prosperity is fairly shared; where we have a shared destiny, a sense of shared endeavor and a common life that we lead together.”10 All of these traits make us good citizens or members of the various communities we belong to. As citizens we are bonded by our commitment to the United States.
With liberty and
Fireworks, parades, and a sea of flags waving through the air are all signs commonly seen during a fourth of July celebration. What exactly are we celebrating on that day? On that day we celebrate our liberty. We celebrate the United States being free from the British government. On July 4, 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. While many of us cannot recite the entire document, a very well known part states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Americans felt as if it was time for them to fix the mistakes in British society. They felt it was time to create a new government that was “free of kings and hereditary rule, governments in which all officials owed their power to popular choice.2 British colonists living in Boston felt as if the British parliament and its king were taking away their freedom with some of its acts. The Sugar Act (sugar tax), Stamp Act (paper tax), Tea Act (tea tax), and the Townsend Act (paper tax) put taxes on things that Americans used every day. American colonists did not agree with the tax. They had not voted for these taxes nor had they voted for the government officials who enforced the taxes. This was taxation without representation. They wanted to be involved in the process of electing lawmakers, but that was only an option given for people who lived in Britain. This led to the beginning of the Revolutionary War.
While the war was still in progress, the delegates decided they had had enough. They decided they wanted their independence. They began working on the Declaration of Independence in June of 1776. Once congress approved the declaration, the British were forced to leave.
“Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” describe the rights that all people have in common. The rights of a person were not determined by their socioeconomic status. God gave the same rights to all people and part of these rights was the right to live free. Citizens should expect these rights regardless of government giving it to them.
Justice for all
The last three words of the Pledge of Allegiance are justice for all. Another mention of the word justice is in the Preamble of the Constitution of the United States. The preamble says, “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” Five men wrote the Preamble during the Philadelphia Convention of 1787. The Preamble sets the tone for the Constitution. The words of the preamble have a lot of meaning.
I believe the Preamble begins with “we the people” as a way of showing unity from the beginning. The word “people” makes it a document about individuals and not the states. It goes on to say, “establish justice.” The word “establish” hints at the idea that there was previously no justice or not enough justice. Justice means fairness. The preamble lets us know that the Constitution sought to establish fairness for everyone. Justice could be achieved through the implementation of laws. The Constitution of the United States is the highest law of the nation.
Victor Hanson, a writer for the National Review, said, “America is a great, evolving experiment of a constitutional republic in which people of all races, religions, and ethnic backgrounds are equal under the law and see themselves as Americans first and member of their tribes second.” I believe this means in America regardless of whether or not someone was born in the United States, regardless of what they physically look like, or what higher power they believe in, our first priority is to our country and that is what unites us and makes us equal. Laws create equality within the United States. Fair and safe environments are created through the use of laws. Laws are guidelines telling us how we are supposed to carry ourselves. Laws are necessary. Without laws society could possibly be full of chaos and confusion. They regulate society and assist with upkeep of the nation.
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