Table of Contents
What is the meaning of the pledge of allegiance?
Let’s break it down and have a look. The definition of “pledge” is: commit (a person or organization) by a solemn promise The definition of “allegiance” is: loyalty or commitment … of an individual to a group or cause. The American flag represents many things.
Can a president change the pledge of allegiance?
The Flag Code specifies that any future changes to the pledge would have to be with the consent of the president. The Pledge of Allegiance now reads: I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation.
What was the history of Balch’s pledge of allegiance?
Balch’s pledge, which predates Francis Bellamy’s by 5 years and was embraced by many schools, by the Daughters of the American Revolution until the 1910s, and by the Grand Army of the Republic until the 1923 National Flag Conference, is often overlooked when discussing the history of the Pledge.
Who was the original composer of the pledge of allegiance?
It was originally composed by Captain George Thatcher Balch, a Union Army Officer during the Civil War and later a teacher of patriotism in New York City schools. The form of the pledge used today was largely devised by Francis Bellamy in 1892, and formally adopted by Congress as the pledge in 1942.
In the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance, we commit our lives to the pursuit of “liberty and justice for all.” The phrase “for all” is inclusive, not discriminatory. “For all” means we aim to provide and protect liberty and justice for all individuals regardless of gender, race, economic status, political ideology or religious background.
What does’with liberty and justice for all’mean?
This Fourth of July the words “with liberty and justice for all” may seem to ring empty for many of our nation’s bravest citizens. Included in our nation’s Pledge of Allegiance, the phrase is supposed to represent the idea that each citizen is equal under the law.
Do you pledge allegiance to the flag in Bible School?
I observed our congregation’s students standing attentively as they enthusiastically declared, “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America” during Vacation Bible School. We often recite these words in classrooms and at civic gatherings.
What does heritage of Liberty mean to US?
Rather, our heritage of liberty means that we are not owned or enslaved by another person or power. Popular pastor and author John Ortberg reminds us, “Real freedom is not the external freedom to gratify every appetite; it is the internal freedom not to be enslaved by our appetites.”