The Pledge of Allegiance, a symbol of national unity, has a complex and often controversial history, particularly concerning African Americans. Controversies surrounding students refusing to stand and recite the pledge are not new.
The American Flag
The Origins of the Pledge
The Pledge of Allegiance actually comes into play in the late 19th century. Just a few short years before the pledge was written, Daniel Sharp Ford, owner of The Youth’s Companion, a children’s publication that focused on “virtue and piety,” launched a campaign to sell flags to American schools.
Ford’s marketing director, James B. Upham, was asked to develop a marketing gimmick to get schools to purchase more flags. Upham decided to find a way to monetize patriotism by creating a “pledge” in which children would declare their love for the country. President Benjamin Harrison had urged the nation to celebrate the first ever-national Columbus Day in 1892, marking the 400th anniversary of the “discovery” of America. The President wanted teachers to emphasize the importance of teaching students about patriotism. Bellamy sold his idea at a national convention and designed the holiday celebration around an elaborate flag-raising ceremony, along with his pledge.
Evolution of the Pledge
A 1923 change added the words, “the Flag of the United States of America.” In 1954, President Eisenhower encouraged Congress to add the words “under God” to the pledge. They did so on June 14, 1954 leaving us with the current pledge:
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“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.”
The pledge was accompanied by a military style salute which came to be known as “The Bellamy Salute,” where the right hand was held over the heart. After reciting “to the Flag,” the arm was extended toward the Flag, palm-down. During WWII the salute resembled the Nazi salute too much and it was changed to just holding the hand over the heart during the entire pledge.
The Bellamy Salute
Historical Context and African Americans
It would fly over the nation that promoted and permitted racial violence against blacks after slavery was “abolished” in 1865. On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress passed a resolution establishing an official flag for the country. The flag would fly over the nation, whose Supreme Court stated in Plessy V. Ferguson (1896) that segregation of the races is perfectly okay. This same flag flew over the nation that stood by and did nothing to stop the thousands of ritualistic murders of blacks - known as lynching - for decades.
The flag flew over the nation that permitted major professional sports leagues to exclude black players for decades. The stars and stripes of our flag means something different to those of us who choose to honor our ancestors, when this nation treated them inhumanly. Native Americans, who were the victims of genocide and the theft of their ancestral lands have a legitimate gripe with the American flag. Asians, who were denied entry to this country by laws such as the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act have a legitimate argument with the American flag.
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Legal and Constitutional Aspects
In a landmark 1943 case, West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, the United States Supreme Court held that the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment protects students from being forced to salute the American flag or say the Pledge of Allegiance in public school. From a legal standpoint, these students are within their rights to not stand for the pledge. To be expelled or arrested as a result of refusing is quintessentially American.
This Supreme Court decision in this case is reminiscent of the refusal of schools across the country to abide by the mandates of the landmark 1954 Supreme Court case Brown v. The racial elements in each of these cases cannot be ignored. As a former teacher myself, I am upset that something which should have been a teachable moment turned into a traumatizing arrest and national media coverage.
Recent Incidents and Protests
A black sixth grade student was arrested in Florida after refusing to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. The police arrested him for disruption and resisting arrest. On February 4, the student was in class when the Pledge of Allegiance was to be recited but refused, saying “that he won’t because the flag of this country was racist,” according to the statement from the teacher.
According to the arresting officer, Carlos Cortez, the student “continued to yell that the teacher had told him to, “Go back to Africa.” The student continued saying, “I’m not leaving. From reports in the Ledger, the local newspaper, Cortes also wrote in the police report that the student told the dean not to touch him and that he would call the police on him. Attorney Roderick Ford is representing the student’s family and said they are filing a lawsuit due to the treatment of the 11 year-old, because he was exercising his constitutionally protected right of free speech.
“There is an improper constitutional deprivation of rights that goes to the heart of the founding of this country. Brian Haas, the state attorney for the 10th Judicial Circuit in Florida, said that his office would not press charges in the case. The student is now in another school, but continues to deal with the aftermath of this mess. His family has also been traumatized. The school refused to allow the student to call his mother during the incident when he asked them to. The substitute teacher will not be allowed to work at the school in the future.
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Last year Windfern High School senior India Landry, who is also black, was expelled from her school in Houston, Texas. Landry had sat during the pledge many times previously. The mother reported that she was told by a school official: “This isn’t the NFL,” in reference to the protest by several NFL players including Colin Kaepernick. In 2017, two Texas high school football players were kicked off their team for protests, including one of them kneeling and the other holding up a fist during the national anthem.
Landry said, “I don’t think that the flag is what it says it stands for, for liberty and justice and all that. She protested by sitting down at least 200 times over the year. What led to her expulsion was that she refused to stand for the pledge in the principal’s office on October 2, 2017. Last September her family filed a lawsuit against Cypress Fairbanks Independent School District, saying her right to free speech and due process were violated by the expulsion.
“Schoolchildren cannot unilaterally refuse to participate in the pledge,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said, according to a report in USA Today. He added that Texas is one of 26 states with similar Pledge statutes. Paxton is supporting a lawsuit which seeks to uphold the expulsion.
Colin Kaepernick Kneeling During the National Anthem
Perspectives on Patriotism and Protest
Is it possible to love the country and still protest against the flag and pledge? Absolutely. We can love our family and still have issues with them. Likewise, we can serve in the armed services and still disagree with our nation’s political policies. What is unpatriotic is not challenging your country to be better. What is unpatriotic is refusing to be honest about the marginalization of people of color.
No one is entitled to tell others how they should express their displeasure with the nation they call home. The Baby Boomer generation, who disrupted society and questioned conservative culture during the Vietnam War, is now the same generation that forbids questioning the government or sharing individual opinions. Constitution, such as our freedom of speech.
Contemporary Views
One line in the American Pledge of Allegiance says, “indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” Let’s dissect. First of all, this nation - America - is split in halves, quarters, even tenths with some left over. Liberty and justice only ring true for a straight white male.
Black people like myself have to figure out how to survive in the face of gun and gang violence, police brutality, and overwhelming racism everywhere - and unfortunately, that’s only a portion of what we go through, simply because of our skin color. My sisters have started #MeToo - a movement many laugh at because they don’t feel or see what we do - to finally speak out about sexual harassment and abuse in the workplace or anywhere.
When we take away the rights of the youth to peacefully protest if they want, when we take away their freedom to believe what they want to believe, then we are in the wrong. We are taking away their ability to think for themselves and instead take our word for everything. Personally, I feel that we shouldn’t have our children stand up and recite the Pledge every morning, not until we learn and take in what it means.
It should no longer just be a standard procedure, but something that we stand up for every day and believe in wholeheartedly. We are not robots. We are not minions who blindly follow orders or risk death. We have a Bill of Rights. We have options - as people, not just as Americans.
The Pledge Symbol | Define American
Table: Key Events in the History of the Pledge of Allegiance
| Year | Event | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| 1892 | Creation of the Pledge | Designed to promote patriotism and sell flags to schools. |
| 1923 | Addition to the Pledge | The words “the Flag of the United States of America” were added. |
| 1943 | West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette | Supreme Court ruled that students cannot be forced to salute the flag or say the Pledge. |
| 1954 | Addition of "Under God" | President Eisenhower encouraged Congress to add the words “under God” to the pledge. |
