Michael Newdow's Pledge Of Allegiance

The original Pledge of Allegiance was meant as an expression of patriotism, not religious faith and made no mention of God. The pledge was written in 1892 by the socialist Francis Bellamy. He wrote it for the popular magazine Youth's Companion on the occasion of the nation's first celebration of Columbus Day. It’s wording omitted reference not only to God but also to the United States. “Under God” should be removed from the pledge for purposes of creating equality in different beliefs and allowing each American their right laid out in the constitution. These are the original words to the Pledge of Allegiance.

Gwen Wilde’s essay “Why the Pledge of Allegiance Should Be Revised” highlights key reasons why the Pledge of Allegiance should be changed to be less divisive towards Americans who do not believe in a God. Wilde begins her essay by informing the audience of the countless alterations the pledge has gone through over the years. The earliest version of the pledge, which was published in 1892, left out the words “under God.” The words “under God” were not added until 1954 when president Dwight D. Eisenhower approved the pledge we all know today. Wilde goes into detail about the hypocrisy illustrated within the Pledge of Allegiance. She explains how the words “under God” are needlessly divisive in a nation that is said to be indivisible. However,

Why the pledge of allegiance should be revised, by Gwen Wilde, is a very well written essay that the reader would most likely deem convincing. Gwen Wilde states that the Pledge in its latest from simply requires all Americans to say the phrase “one nation, under God,” when many Americans do not believe in God. She uses many different writing strategies to get her point across in a very precise and appropriate manner. Although there are some minor problems, this analysis will explain how Gwen Wilde uses certain writing strategies that are able to back her argument with a very convincing approach.

In fact, nowhere in the Constitution do we have a single mention of Christianity, God, Jesus, or any Supreme Being. There occurs only two references to religion and they both use exclusionary wording. The 1st Amendment 's says, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. . ." and in Article VI, Section 3, "...no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States."

The allegiance was originated in August, 1892 but did not include the words “Under God”, which was added in 1933. There was some concern of the change, considering separation of church and state. By forcing students and American citizens to cite the allegiance, you’re there by forcing them into a certain religion, which violates the first amendment, “Freedom of Religion”. By forcing them to stand during the allegiance they are there by betraying their own beliefs of where they come from or who they are. Some may look at it, as disrespect towards America or our war veterans, but it also shows disrespect towards those individuals. We are not only ignoring their beliefs but we are disrespecting their history, their family, and where they originally come

There have been several versions of The Pledge and the one that we currently recite today was revised back in 1954 when president Eisenhower reacted to the communist threat. The original version was written by Francis Bellamy in 1892, who had hoped that countries around the world would recreate their own versions. Now, in most states reciting The Pledge at school is a state law. The Pledge consist of students standing up, facing the American flag, placing their right hand over their heart, and saying the words “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.” In other places when The Pledge is being recited its considered

One of the most controversial issues, if “Under God” should remain in the pledge, and if children should be required to say it, went to court a few weeks ago. The argument was brought to court by Michael Newdow, the father to the girl on whose behalf the lawsuit was brought forward. Newdow argued in court and on many different public speaking occasions that knowing his child is being led to say “One nation under God” on a daily basis makes him feel “Disenfranchised”. (Hamilton, Marci A. CNN Special). He points out that “The Pledge, which has “liberty for all” is being used to inculcate his daughter in a religious worldview he cannot accept”. (Hamilton, Marci A. CNN Special). This means

President Obama sat down with the President of Turkey and told him “We have a very large Christian population, we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation; we consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values” (White House Press Release). Although the United States has a large Christian following we also have many religions within our culture; with an ongoing conflict against citizens that are nonreligious, Atheist, Agnostic, etcetera. The two words that were added to the Pledge of Allegiance proves the favoring of religion in a secular government. Even though the pledge does have a loyalty amongst the majority of citizens, we should remove the

In conclusion, “under God” should stay in the Pledge of Allegiance because America was truly formed to be “One Nation, Under God.” The majority of people in America are christian and believe in God. If people disagree and do not want to say the words, they have the freedom to simply skip over them. Faith in God has played a larger role in the strength of the country and in our history than is realized, and “under God” should be kept in the pledge to respect our country’s history.

One Nation under GOD Since 1952 when these four words were first drafted into the Pledge of Allegiance, that phrase has remained synonymous with the United States of America and the spirit of the American People. But what does that really mean? And more importantly, what do those four words have to do with us today? Ronald Reagan once said, “If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a Nation gone under”, which raises the question, “why?” Why is GOD so important to the United States of America? To answer that, one must journey to the start of our Country, July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was presented and signed by the Continental Congress, marking the birth of a nation. The next question is, if GOD is

A controversial issue that’s been talked about for a while is the importance of the pledge of allegiance in the United Sates.

“I pledge allegiance to my flag and for the republic for which it stands: one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” This was the original pledge, it should also be the current pledge. When President Eisenhower was in office in 1954, he made it law that “under God” was to be put in the pledge. It was not until Judge Alfred T. Goodwin argued that those two words violated one of the most important parts of the first amendment to many American citizens. Many people come to America to seek religious freedom. It is evident that “Under God” should be taken out of the pledge by showing that it goes against the first amendment, it has had an affect on our history, and it can confuse young kids in school.

After the Civil War ravaged our country, the sixteenth President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, delivered the “Gettysburg Address” to unite our country. In the speech, he spoke of the core values of human equality and ended the speech with “…that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” Here the listener or reader can see that even in harsh times, the United States was a nation under God, and see that God gave the American people hope for a resolution to the conflict. In 1942, Congress adopted the Pledge of Allegiance. In my school, we recite the 1954 to present version every day, and always end it with “One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” As a proud American, I recite this with meaning every day, and I could not be happier to say

“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.” This is the original pledge of allegiance and many will pick up the difference right away and notice two words missing after “one nation.” In fact, on Flag Day 1954, the words “under God” were added to the pledge. Today, this connects to the question: Is god and religion necessary? Is “under God” in the pledge and “In God We Trust” on U.S. currency necessary? Well, the debate is heating up as religion and atheism/agnosticism clash on the role of religion. Although many believe the opposite, religion and even more so organized religion is no longer as necessary as it once was, and in many cases it is more harmful than good. In fact, religious affiliation is declining, so much so that in a 2012 study done by the Pew Religion and Public Life Project it was found that, “More Americans than ever are saying that they are ‘spiritual, but not religious’... nearly a fifth of those polled said that they were not religiously affiliated. That number has increased to 23% in the latest study”(Reiss). This is also seen in a decline of people who believe in a god as millennials(1980-) lead the pack with 25%(Leonhardt). Religion, regardless of its decline, still has its grasp on society and it is seen in the clash between evolution vs. creation and science vs. religious faith. This includes religion in the U.S. where separation

In the early year of 1893, Francis Bellamy beautifully crafted a pledge that will be twisted over years of alteration, creating a constrained symbol of national bond submersed in religious controversy. The original text of Francis Bellamy’s Pledge of Allegiance was recited with a salute as, “I pledge allegiance to my flag and the Republic for which it stands-one nation, indivisible-with liberty and justice for all.” Reading this text, one may notice a lack of a well known excerpt; “under God.” People refer to this line as being a part of American culture, something so immersed into the history of the country it can not be altered; though, after finding that the original Pledge did not include this phrase Americans question the true