Prompt Cast
The History and Evolution of the Pledge of Allegiance
TLDR The Pledge of Allegiance was originally created as a marketing tool and a way to Americanize immigrant children in public schools. It has evolved over time, with changes to the wording and the salute, and has been influenced by concerns about communism and patriotism.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
The Pledge of Allegiance was originally a marketing tool for a magazine called The Youth Companion.
02:12
The Pledge of Allegiance was created by Francis Bellamy, a Christian socialist, as a way to Americanize immigrant children in public schools.
04:39
The public school system in the late 1800s aimed to train children to be good citizens and prepare them for factory work, and the idea of the Pledge of Allegiance was born as a way to promote patriotism and sell American flags.
06:51
The pledge of allegiance was just one part of a larger patriotic program created by Francis Bellamy to promote patriotism and honor Civil War heroes.
09:17
In 1892, Francis Bellamy wrote his own pledge of allegiance, which included the phrase "I pledge allegiance to my flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible with liberty and justice for all," and recommended a way to salute the flag during the recitation.
11:41
The Bellamy salute, which resembled a Nazi salute but with the palm facing up, was used during the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance until 1943 when it was replaced with the hand-over-heart gesture.
14:16
The phrase "under God" was added to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954 due to concerns about communism, and in 1943 the Supreme Court ruled that students cannot be forced to say the pledge.
Categories:
Society & Culture
