Pledge of Allegiance

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An edited version was published in the Letters to the Editor section of the 25 March 2022 edition of the Wisconsin State Journal, Madison Wisconsin

https://madison.com/opinion/letters/pledge-can-help-unite-our-nation----alexander-converse/article_77d75f05-83ff-5c62-b6ae-12701360a83d.html

)

 

The benefits of the Pledge of Allegiance outweigh its potential for divisiveness ("No more Pledge of Allegiance?" WSJ 22 March). In fact, the pledge to the flag unites us as Americans. It reminds us that we are part of "the Republic for which it stands", that is, a democracy and not a monarchy. In our system of government, we organize ourselves according to the needs and desires of the people, not according to the autocratic whims of one man (see e.g. Putin, Vladimir). We are "one Nation", a notion of importance to Francis Bellamy who wrote the pledge in 1892 only one generation after the Civil War and likewise of some relevance now. In the pledge, we affirm that our nation promises "liberty and justice for all". In 1954 Congress added the "under God" business, but most of us can agree that our idea of God may differ from that of our neighbor's. Let's have a beer, discuss religion, and admit that faith is a mystery. The important thing is that we are part of this one nation, that we believe in justice, and that we will fight for liberty - for ourselves and for others.

 

Alexander K. Converse

Madison, WI

 

 

notes

 

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-man-who-wrote-the-pledge-of-allegiance-93907224/

 

https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title4-section4&num=0&edition=prelim