Recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in American Public Schools - Research Paper Example

Recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in American Public Schools America’s Pledge of Allegiance was written for the first time by Francis Bellamy in 1892. He was a socialist minister. The pledge would later be reviewed four times to fit the interests of various people in America. The words of the pledge read “I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all” (Streufert, para 1). Duane Streufert maintains historical information about the American flag on its website at www.usflag.org. The pledge is a promise that Americans make to their country. ‘Allegiance’ means that one is loyal to the country. The flag is the symbol of America. ‘Republic’ means a democratic space where people are guaranteed the rights to take part in electioneering politics and voting processes. ‘One nation’ stands for a unified America. “Under God” symbolizes the people’s reverence of God as the source of blessing upon America. ‘Indivisible’ means that the states of America should not divide for any reason. ‘Liberty’ means that the people have freedom to pursue their interests without inhibition while ‘justice for all’ means that everyone in America would be treated fairly according to the law and the founding values of the country. Having been created in 1892, The Pledge of Allegiance should be said in public schools. It is a historical reminder of what America is about. The magazine, ‘The Youth’s Companion’ on September 8, 1892 published the words of the Allegiance Pledge. It intended to have students recite it at school during the commemoration of Columbus Day in 1892. On October 12, 1892, an approximated 12 million children in America recited the word of the Pledge of Allegiance, marking the beginning of what would become a school tradition in America (Streufert, para 1). Despite the fact the school children were already reciting the words of the Pledge of Allegiance; America’s Congress did not adopt the pledge until 1942. In 1943 however, the Supreme Court of the country made a ruling that no child in American schools would be forced to recite the words of the Pledge of Allegiance (Streufert, para 3). Streufert (para 3) further added that only a half of the states currently have laws that encourage the recitation of the pledge by children in classrooms. This shows of how the great significance of the Pledge of Allegiance has waned in the country. The Pledge of Allegiance has been met with several challenges in the recent times because of the addition of the phrase ‘under God’ to it. According to Conton (para 1-2), the phrase ‘under God’ has brought several lawsuits that challenge the pledge as violating equal rights of the multicultural diversity in America. Kevin Conton is the national editor for CNN in Massachusetts. The latest lawsuits that challenge the pledge on grounds of religious discrimination have always failed one after the other. The basis of their failures in courts across the U.S. is because the Pledge of Allegiance does not have a compulsory clause that forces one to recite it if they feel that it violates their equal rights (Conton para 6). Despite the ongoing legal battles of the constitutionality of the phrase ‘under God’ in the Pledge of Allegiance, Americans should understand one fact that the pledge does not criminalize those who feel violated from reciting it. There are several inevitable values that American citizens should remind themselves of through recitation of the pledge in public schools. It does not mean that everyone in public schools should be forced to recite it. However, American children who feel obliged to reconnect with American values and history through recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance should be given an opportunity to do so because they have the liberty to enjoy that freedom. The differences in opinions of those who support the Pledge of Allegiance and those oppose it could just be a healthy part of American life as a country that protects the liberty of everyone. In fact, one could say that freedom of expression and practice of religion of one’s conviction is ideal in America. However, there are fundamental concepts in the Pledge of Allegiance that people should be keen at dissecting before opposing it. The most fundamental reason as to why the Pledge of Allegiance should be recited in public schools is to instill a sense of patriotism into student, irrespective of their religious affiliations. David A. Schultz is an author and a professor at the school of law school of the University of Minnesota. According to Schultz (443), the Pledge of Allegiance is just but a pledge and should not be confused with oath taking. Perhaps some people might choose to believe that reciting the pledge in public schools across the U.S. is like taking some kind of an oath, but that is not true. Abandoning American pledge of allegiance in public schools at this time in history would be so anti-American traditions of marking commemorations of important dates in its historical calendar. The pledge has been part of American educational traditions since 1892 when it was first written. It is an important historical feature within the American society that should be binding to all irrespective of creed. All states should enact laws that protect the recitation of the pledge in their public schools. However, the laws should not be punitive to those who might not choose to recite the pledge for one reason or the other. According to Streufert (para 3), not all states have laws that encourage the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. This scenario creates a situation where there is lack of uniformity across public schools in terms of recitation of the pledge. However, the laws should not force anyone to recite the pledge because that would be a violation of the people’s liberty that constitution of the country protects. A lot of students whose religious convictions might not encourage them to recite the pledge might feel pressured to recite the pledge. Children of younger age or even teenage students might feel isolated when they are keeping quite when the pledge is being recited. Public schools should thus take a leading role in educating the students not to feel isolated or succumbing to influence of their peers into reciting the pledge when they feel that it is not right to recite it. Public schools should also educate children on the general importance of the Pledge of Allegiance, not only to those who worship God but to everyone in America. In the year 2005, The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the Virginia law that required that all public schools should observe a daily recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance (CNN Library ‘History’ August 10, 2005). The CNN library is on online information archive that is maintained by CNN. The ruling by the Circuit Courts of Appeal in Virginia in 2005 was arrived at after the judges argued that the recitation of the pledge does not affirm one’s religious beliefs but a mere patriotic exercise. School children like anyone else in America have the liberty to affirm their patriotism to the flag and the nation of America. So long as they are given the freedom to either recite or not recite the pledge in public schools, the tradition of reciting the Pledge of Allegiance should continued in public schools across America. In 2010, eleven western states got a boost from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeal’s ruling to continue with the tradition of reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in schools across the region. The court argued the pledge does not represent the official position of the government on endorsing Christianity in America (Mears, para 2). Bill Mears is in charge of production of information from the Supreme Court in California for CNN. The pressure to conform by children of atheist parents has always been the controversy that has been raised in many court cases that have challenged the legality of reciting the pledge across many school districts in America. Evidences of children’s ridicule because they do not partake in reciting the pledge across schools have never been brought before the courts that have heard cases that challenge the Pledge of Allegiance. In the state of Oregon, public schools across all the school districts are required by law to partake in daily recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. According to American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon (para 1) some schools have victimized students who do not wish to recite the pledge by either forcing them to stand because the recitation of the pledge require people to stand. American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon is not for profit organization that works in defending people’s civil rights in the state of Oregon and elsewhere in America. Under Oregon’s ‘ORS 339.875 Procurement, display and salute of flags’ law, students who do not wish to partake in saluting the flag must maintain respect to those who take part in reciting the pledge (American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon para 2). This law clearly indicates that the tradition of reciting the pledge requires that there must be mutual respect between students, whether they do recite the pledge or not. Such kind of law upholds people’s liberty to choose to do what is right based on their belief. In the context of Oregon laws on recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, it is easy to see that the school districts are encouraged to guarantee ‘justice for all’ as stated in the pledge itself. The challenge for removal of the phrase ‘under God’ has so far been one of the spirited campaigns by atheists against the Pledge of Allegiance in America. But at this point, it would be important to consider what definition does the word ‘God’ refers to in this case. The term God, in many monotheist religions, refers to a power above anyone else that is looked upon as the creator of the universe. In other religions, God refers to a spirit that has power over the universe and everything in it (Studtmann 78). Paul Studtmann is an expert in ancient philosophy and a professor at Davidson College. The Pledge of Allegiance does not make any blatant reference to any given type of God, whether Christian God or not. The bone of contention on whether or not the pledge is reinforcing Christian beliefs in America should not apply. Parents who are atheist and would want to steer their children into the path of atheism should also understand that children learn from nature and nurture (Berns 197). The school environment teaches children on many things other than what their parents want them to learn. Roberta Berns is an author and an emeritus professor at the University of California. Children should thus be given the liberty to learn without inhibition. If a child chooses to skip the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, it should be out of their self will and not coercive force of their parents or religion. Other than the phrase ‘under God’ that has been the epicenter of controversies on the Pledge of Allegiance, it is also prudent to evaluate the pledge in its totality for its true meaning. The pledge carries some of the American founding values. The pledge reminds American children of the need become people who respect other people’s civil rights to enjoy liberty. America has also embraced unity for peaceful coexistent of its multiracial populations for many generations. The pledge calls for guidance of America by God as a nation of one people. It also reminds Americans of the ideals of fair treatment of her people, irrespective of race by guaranteeing justice to everyone. Children who are bred on the ideals and values that are espoused in the Pledge of Allegiance grow into becoming citizens who embrace American values. Recitation of the pledge is a binding ritual that should always be respected and upheld through its recitation in public schools. In conclusion, it is imperative to note that recitation of the American Pledge of Allegiance is a binding ritual that American public respect irrespective of their religious beliefs and values. American founding fathers took a bold step in fighting for independence of the country. One of the major aims of American patriots who took part in liberation wars was to attain freedom for all Americans irrespective of their creed. American flag is the symbol of commemoration of the great personal sacrifices that American patriots made in achieving the freedoms that people enjoy today. Americans have thus recited the Pledge of Allegiance since 1892 as one of the ways of reminding themselves of the great significance of patriotism and loyalty to the country. Works Cited: American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon. The Pledge of Allegiance in Oregon Public Schools, n.d. Web. November 11, 2013. Berns, Roberta. Child, family, school, community: socialization and support. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning, 2010. CNN Library. Pledge of Allegiance Fast Facts. CNN, 2013. Web. November 11, 2013. Conlon, Kevin. 'Under God' part of Pledge of Allegiance under review in Massachusetts. CNN, 2013. Web. November 11, 2013. Mears, Bill. Court clears reciting of Pledge of Allegiance at Western schools. CNN, 2010. Web. November 11, 2013. Schultz, David A. Encyclopedia of the United States Constitution. New York: Facts on File, 2009. Streufert, Duane. The original Pledge of Allegiance. The Flag of the United States of America, 2005. Web. November 11, 2013. Studtmann, Paul. Empiricism and the problem of metaphysics. Lanham, Md.: Lexington Books, 2010. Read More