Francis Bellamy (1855 - 1931), a Baptist minister, wrote the original Pledge in August 1892. He was a Christian Socialist. In his Pledge, he is expressing the ideas of his first cousin, Edward Bellamy, author of the American socialist utopian novels, Looking Backward (1888) and Equality (1897).
Francis Bellamy in his sermons and lectures and Edward Bellamy in his novels and articles described in detail how the middle class could create a planned economy with political, social and economic equality for all. The government would run a peace time economy similar to our present military industrial complex.
The Pledge was published in the September 8th issue of The Youth's Companion, the leading family magazine and the Reader's Digest of its day. Its owner and editor, Daniel Ford, had hired Francis in 1891 as his assistant when Francis was pressured into leaving his baptist church in Boston because of his socialist sermons. As a member of his congregation, Ford had enjoyed Francis's sermons. Ford later founded the liberal and often controversial Ford Hall Forum, located in downtown Boston.
In 1892 Francis Bellamy was also a chairman of a committee of state superintendents of education in the National Education Association. As its chairman, he prepared the program for the public schools' quadricentennial celebration for Columbus Day in 1892. He structured this public school program around a flag raising ceremony and a flag salute - his 'Pledge of Allegiance.'
His original Pledge read as follows: 'I pledge allegiance to my Flag and (to*) the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.' He considered placing the word, 'equality,' in his Pledge, but knew that the state superintendents of education on his committee were against equality for women and African Americans. [ * 'to' added in October, 1892. ]
Dr. Mortimer Adler, American philosopher and last living founder of the Great Books program at Saint John's College, has analyzed these ideas in his book, The Six Great Ideas. He argues that the three great ideas of the American political tradition are 'equality, liberty and justice for all.' 'Justice' mediates between the often conflicting goals of 'liberty' and 'equality.'
In 1923 and 1924 the National Flag Conference, under the 'leadership of the American Legion and the Daughters of the American Revolution, changed the Pledge's words, 'my Flag,' to 'the Flag of the United States of America.' Bellamy disliked this change, but his protest was ignored.
In 1954, Congress after a campaign by the Knights of Columbus, added the words, 'under God,' to the Pledge. The Pledge was now both a patriotic oath and a public prayerFrom: jring2333@aol.com
To: PSP-Snags@googlegroups.com
Sent: Fri, 22 May 2009 11:41 am
Subject: [PSP-Snags] Re: PLEDGE
My facts are correct.
From: Inyri Forge <inyri_lujayne@yahoo.com>
To: PSP-Snags@googlegroups.com
Sent: Fri, 22 May 2009 10:05 am
Subject: [PSP-Snags] Re: PLEDGE
| If you're going to give a history lesson, please get your facts straight and tell the whole story instead of just a tidbit to further your ideology. I don't mean that in a rude way, but if you're going to put something like that out there, do expect someone to challenge them. It was written by a man of God - Baptist Minister, Francis Bellamy - in honor of Columbus Day in 1892 and was intended for students to recite as a show of national solidarity and pride. So, no, the Pledge wasn't around for over 100 years without those words "one nation under God" as you claim. The original Pledge: "I Pledge Allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all." "the flag of the United States of America" was added to ensure immigrants who became legal US citizens understood that Old Glory was now their flag. During WW2, people found solace in the Pledge of Allegiance and already had begun to solidify the interwoven correlation between the Pledge and God since it was a time of great turmoil...and death. One of the most famous speeches in US history is the Gettysburg Address. I suppose, in some people's eyes, it was just plain wrong for Abraham Lincoln to declare "under God" in that speech. And that's just where "one nation under God" is derived. The problem with the word "God" in the Pledge and other similar "controversies" is that some people often relate it to only one God from one religion: Christianity. What the minority of people here in the US, and the majority around the world, fail to realize for whatever reason(perhaps it's beyond their comprehension or out of sheer ignorance) is that people fled Europe for the new country to escape religious persecution. People came here seeking a place where they could practice(or even not practice) whatever religion they wanted. That is the basis of how and why this country was born. "God" is intended to mean all Gods from all religions, not just one God. It's such a shame that people are so full of hatred and spite, as well as stupidity, that they refuse to acknowledge the literal intention and interpretation of the government's use of the word "God.". --- On Fri, 5/22/09, jring2333@aol.com <jring2333@aol.com> wrote:
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