Why Do Americans Pledge Allegiance? Origins and Evolution

The Pledge of Allegiance began as a short, plain paragraph written in 1892 by schoolteacher and Baptist minister Francis Bellamy. Published in the September 8, 1892 issue of The Youth’s Companion, Bellamy’s text—“I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands...” —was created for a nationwide public-school celebration tied to the 400th anniversary of Columbus’s voyage. Its original purpose was civic education: to teach children loyalty to the nation and to the flag as a shared symbol.

How the wording evolved to say exactly what it means today

Bellamy’s original phrase “my Flag” was deliberately vague. In the decades that followed, lawmakers and civic leaders made the wording more explicit. In 1923 “my Flag” became “the flag of the United States,” and in 1924 “of America” was added to remove ambiguity. The most notable later change came in 1954, when Congress added the words “under God” during a Cold War-era push to contrast the United States with officially atheist communist regimes; President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the change on June 14, 1954, Flag Day. Despite these edits, the Pledge’s core phrase “one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all” has endured.

Schools, immigration, and the rise of routine recitation

Public schools turned the Pledge into a daily habit. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, mass immigration and a desire to assimilate newcomers made short civic rituals attractive to educators. Reciting the Pledge each morning served as a quick civic lesson and a unifying routine. Over time, the practice became embedded in school culture, shaping how generations of Americans begin their day.

Law, liberty, and the Supreme Court

The Pledge has been at the center of major legal fights over compelled speech and religious freedom. In 1940 the Supreme Court initially upheld mandatory flag salutes, but three years later it reversed course in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette (319 U.S. 624, 1943), ruling that public schools cannot force students to salute the flag or recite the Pledge. That decision affirmed that the First Amendment protects students from government-compelled expressions of belief.

The addition of “under God” has prompted legal challenges as well. The most prominent recent case, Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow (2004), ended without a Supreme Court ruling on the Constitutionality of the phrase because the Court dismissed the case on standing grounds. The debate over whether the phrase violates the Establishment Clause continues in public discourse and lower-court litigation.

Politics, protest, and changing meanings

What the Pledge symbolizes has shifted with historical context. In the early 20th century it was a tool of assimilation and civic instruction. During the Cold War it became an explicit anti-communist marker. More recently, debates about national identity, racial justice, immigration, and religious freedom have colored how the Pledge is received. For some Americans it’s a sincere expression of national loyalty; for others it is a contested ritual tied to policies or historical injustices.

Court decisions protect both recitation and refusal: people may choose to pledge, and they may also decline without government punishment. That legal balance has allowed the Pledge to remain a visible, yet voluntary, symbol in civic life.

Why the ritual endures

The Pledge persists because it operates on several levels at once: it’s a brief civic script taught in schools, a shared shorthand for national unity, and a cultural artifact that can be adapted or challenged. Its language is simple and repeatable, making it easy to transmit across generations. Even as debates swirl about specific words and contexts, the practice endures because Americans continue to use it to express belonging, to contest meanings of nationhood, and to mark public occasions.

For historical context about the flag that anchors the Pledge, see our history of the flag.

The Pledge’s past is layered—educational reform, political currents, legal protections, and personal convictions all played roles. Today it remains both a ritual many accept without thought and a focal point for important conversations about free speech, religious expression, and what it means to be American.