Did you know that the Pledge of Allegiance didn't have "under God" in it until 1954?

[mtnsnake]

That was when Reagan's idol, Dwight D Eisenhower, made the last revision to add "under God". I didn't know that, or maybe I forgot or something. Anyway, the original Pledge of Allegiance read:

I pledge allegiance to my Flag,
and to the Republic for which it stands:
one Nation indivisible,
With Liberty and Justice for all.

October 11, 1892

Then in 1923 it was changed to:

I pledge allegiance to my the
Flag of the United States,
and to the Republic for which it stands:
one Nation indivisible,
With Liberty and Justice for all.

June 14, 1923

Then a year later:

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.

June 14, 1924

Then on June 14 (Flag Day), 1954, its last change by Eisenhower:

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.

June 14, 1954

http://www.homeofheroes.com/hallofheroes/1st_floor/flag/1bfc_pledge.html


And from another site:

Eisenhower's rationale for "One Nation Under God" was one Reagan supported wholeheartedly: to draw a moral and religious distinction between the American republic and the Soviet empire. Reagan himself described the difference: "Two visions of the world remain locked in dispute. The first believes all men are created equal by a loving God who has blessed us with freedom. Abraham Lincoln spoke for us.... The second vision believes that religion is opium for the masses. It believes that eternal principles like truth, liberty, and democracy have no meaning beyond the whim of the state. And Lenin spoke for them."

http://www.susvalleypolicy.org/policynews.asp?aid=895

[Ian David]

1. I'm waiting for Bush to ask them to change it to "Under Jesus." n/t

[tblue]

7. And tag on at the end "Amen"

[UnyieldingHierophant]

25. Thank you Baby Jesus!*

[HCE SuiGeneris]

40. It would be "One nation under Bush, ambassador of God"

:puke:

[SharonAnn]

41. The Catholic Knights of columbus fought for that for years, finally won in 1954

Uck!

[sakabatou]

2. Yes, I knew that

I always leave it out.

[Solon]

6. I just change it to "Under Canada", at least its Geographically correct!

:)

[mtnsnake]

8. LOL!!

:toast:

[monmouth]

3. I was in the eighth grade at the time and remember it well. There

didn't seem to be any big deal made over it, but of course, it was the 50's. My mother used to wear heels while vacuuming.....

[classof56]

24. Ah, yes, I remember it well!

I was 16, a high school sophomore, and it was in the midst of the McCarthy era, when all us "good God-fearing Americans" were just sure the Commies were hell-bent (literally) on taking over our country. My Baptist family was very, very poor (seriously economically deprived, lemme tell ya, as in times when we didn't have food on the table) but that wasn't important when weighed against the possibility of finding ourselves in the clutches of godless communism.

At my Class of '56 high school reunion last year, the pledge of allegiance was on the agenda, with the emcee asking us all to emphasize UNDER GOD as we recited it--at which point I reminded folks at my table that phrase was included in the pledge just two scant years before we graduated. Funny how quickly they forgot!

Tired Old Cynic

[JerseygirlCT]

4. Yes nt

[tblue]

5. I heard this before, but this post is really eye-opening. Thanks!

This is how I'd rewrite it for the 21st century:

I pledge allegiance to the Constitution
of the United States of America,
and to the Republic for which it stands:
one Nation reunited, and respectful of all others,
With indisputable Liberty and Justice for all.

[mtnsnake]

12. That's a nice revision you made!

Good one!

[Gman]

9. And it was the RW fundie Republicans

that got it done, with the help of a GOP Congress.

[phillysuse]

10. Yup, all of a sudden in second grade

they changed the Pledge of Allegiance. I had memorized it the year before in first grade without under God.

[Synnical]

11. Yup, but thanks for bringing it up n/t

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[monmouth]

16. Masonic influence had a lot to do with the "God" in our money.

[yardwork]

14. I knew that because some of my teachers in the 1960s still said it the "old" way

It's a shame (literally a shame) that the phrase was added. It was pandering to the right-wing during the McCarthy era.

[Postman]

15. Did you know it was written by a Christian Socialist?

Francis Bellamy

http://history.vineyard.net/pledge.htm

[wellst0nev0ter]

17. And I Guess We Are Still In A Fight Against The Godless Commies

right?

[EST]

18. I was in the first grade in 1954.

Every morning, we recited the pledge of allegiance and the Lord's Prayer.
It was in '55 or '56 that the teacher made the change in the pledge and it disturbed me, not because of the god reference, particularly, but because it threw off the rhythm and made it a bit uncomfortable to recite-I didn't like it-but nobody asked me for my opinion.

It was at about the same time that we stopped reciting the LP and I kind of missed that.

[mtnsnake]

27. In 1954 Bush was in kindergarten and he was 8. It was his third try at it.

[EST]

36. Heehee!

UB2mch.
Bush is the sort of incurious creature that we all know too many of. Little wonder that so many of the population identify with him, plus, it feeds their own inflated egos to imagine that they, themselves, could be president, if they really wanted to.

Little chance, but I do hope the the cesspit the country is swimming through teaches at least some of the marginally aware that being president is a hard job.
It requires someone of intelligence, wit, and self reliant quiet enthusiasm, rather than ignorant bravado and pig-headedness.

[AlCzervik]

19. to quote my Granpa Irv-"It worked just fine without God when i was in WW2"

[Cobalt Violet]

42. I agree with Granpa Irv. n/t

[Seeking Serenity]

20. Yes, I did. So what? (n/t)

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

21. Yeah, I mumbled both versions when I was a kid.

Gave up on it after My-Lai.

[Initech]

22. Yup. Added by a major right-wing fundie asshole - Joeseph McCarthy.

[treestar]

23. Not until a couple of years ago

With the latest flap on the subject.

Which made it interesting that they insisted on putting "under God" in during the 1950s. They all protest too much.

The things that cracks me up is the Christians who think the religion will disappear if schoolchildren don't have to say "under God" in the pledge. Well, the religion didn't disappear before the 1950s. And if it's that tenuous, it will disappear anyway!

[TahitiNut]

26. Yep. I even remember when it changed when I was in grade school.

My parents (and peers) remember when they said the Pledge with the "Nazi salute," too. :shrug:

[Kerrytravelers]

28. I knew that. Which is why it doesn't bother this Christian to take it out of the pledge.

It seems silly to have it in there to begin with.

[Left Is Write]

29. Yes.

[izzie]

30. Yes I was one of those Godless people who was in school

Prue 1954

[madokie]

31. Now that you mention it I remember

[Marr]

32. Yes, but it's become a tradition now-- so we should keep it.

It's been in the pledge for 50 years now. That's some serious time there.

FISA laws, on the other hand, are the 'product of another time', as is the writ of Habeas Corpus.

[William769]

33. look how long slavery was in America

It became a tradition. Some traditions just don't cut it.

[kskiska]

34. And did you know this…

Before World War II, the Pledge was begun with the right hand over the heart during the phrase "I pledge allegiance". The arm was then extended toward the Flag at the phrase "to the Flag", and it remained outstretched during the rest of the pledge, with the palm facing upward, as if to lift the flag. An earlier version, the Bellamy salute,also ended with the arm outstretched and the palm upwards, but began with the right hand in a military salute, not over the heart. Both of these salutes differed from the Roman salute, where the palm was toward the ground. However, during the war the outstretched arm became identified with Nazism and Fascism, and the custom was changed: today the Pledge is said from beginning to end with the right hand over the heart.

[madeline_con]

35. YES

[ThomWV]

37. I Remember When It Changed

I remember the teacher having us recite it differently, she made a lesson out of it. Within a day or two we were all indoctrinated and used the words without one single bit of enhanced belief.

[burrowowl]

44. Yep! Learned it one way in 1st grade

and had to relearn it in 2nd grade. Also it was written by a Socialist Baptist Black Preacher,who got fired from his preacher job.

[Jersey Devil]

38. When I was in school all the guys feared the pledge

Before starting the school day one of the kids would have to take the flag to the front of the classroom for the pledge, then another would bring the Bible and read something from it (usually a Psalm). Starting in about 5th or 6th grade when you knew it was gonna be your turn you dreaded what might (and did) happen to other boys when it was their turn - the spontaneous stiffy! Then you'd hear all the giggling as the boy holding the flag was bent half over trying not to show it.

It was a terrible time indeed!

[Cobalt Violet]

39. The latest version is just a bastardization of the pledge.

I hate it and never, ever, ever say it.

[porphyrian]

43. ...and we shall not rest until it says "OVER God!" Muhuhahahaha! - n/t