“One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” For decades, these immortal words have rung from the mouths of thousands of Americans every day. Around the classrooms of public schools, at the beginning of sports meets, in the opening of a military meeting, the “Pledge of Allegiance” brings Americans back to the good ole’ days of fighting for our freedoms, loving our neighbors and earning our equality. But can the “Pledge” promise freedom and fairness to all when the oath itself is discriminatory towards American minorities? Should a pledge that only references the Christian majority serve as the oath for America, a nation that prides itself on equality, tolerance, and justice? Should we continue to recite an oath that
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They claim that the founding fathers wanted America to be a Christian nation. They claim that Francis Bellamy wrote the phrase “under God” into the Pledge of Allegiance. They claim that America must not change; however, they are all wrong. From the establishment of America, George Washington and his co-founders wanted America to be a non-religious country. In the First Amendment, they wrote that “all religions are equal in the eyes of the law with no special preference or favoritism,” meaning no additional representation in our legislature (“A Delicate Balance”). That also includes national oaths. Having “under God” in the “Pledge”—the Christian god—explicitly goes against their wishes. While some try to paint the founding fathers into devout Protestants, a large portion, including Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin, were all Deists, an organisation who frequently combated with mainstream Christianity. Because of that, they fought for all of America’s legislature to be religiously ambiguous. Despite the work of our forefathers, others are reluctant to remove the phrase because of the “Pledge’s” history. However, the original version of the “Pledge” written in 1892 did not contain the words “under God” and wouldn’t until over fifty years later in 1954, when Eisenhower encouraged the addition to combat communism. While socialist author Francis Bellamy was deceased by this time, his next of kin Rachael Bellamy violently objected to the addition. And shouldn’t we, the American citizens, do the same? Congress added Eisenhower’s revision in a time of extreme warfare and reflects a dark, violent time in America’s history. Shouldn 't we want to expunge the phrase, to show our progress as a nation? Traditionalists have always been afraid of advancement, that 's true, but it is necessary for our future. From the foundation of America, our country has constantly been changing. Americans in the 1700s
They claim that the founding fathers wanted America to be a Christian nation. They claim that Francis Bellamy wrote the phrase “under God” into the Pledge of Allegiance. They claim that America must not change; however, they are all wrong. From the establishment of America, George Washington and his co-founders wanted America to be a non-religious country. In the First Amendment, they wrote that “all religions are equal in the eyes of the law with no special preference or favoritism,” meaning no additional representation in our legislature (“A Delicate Balance”). That also includes national oaths. Having “under God” in the “Pledge”—the Christian god—explicitly goes against their wishes. While some try to paint the founding fathers into devout Protestants, a large portion, including Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin, were all Deists, an organisation who frequently combated with mainstream Christianity. Because of that, they fought for all of America’s legislature to be religiously ambiguous. Despite the work of our forefathers, others are reluctant to remove the phrase because of the “Pledge’s” history. However, the original version of the “Pledge” written in 1892 did not contain the words “under God” and wouldn’t until over fifty years later in 1954, when Eisenhower encouraged the addition to combat communism. While socialist author Francis Bellamy was deceased by this time, his next of kin Rachael Bellamy violently objected to the addition. And shouldn’t we, the American citizens, do the same? Congress added Eisenhower’s revision in a time of extreme warfare and reflects a dark, violent time in America’s history. Shouldn 't we want to expunge the phrase, to show our progress as a nation? Traditionalists have always been afraid of advancement, that 's true, but it is necessary for our future. From the foundation of America, our country has constantly been changing. Americans in the 1700s