History of the Pledge of Allegiance
The original Pledge of Allegiance was written by Francis Bellamy. It was first given wide publicity through the official program of the National Public Schools Celebration of Columbus Day, which was printed in The Youth’s Companion of September 8, 1892, and at the same time sent out in leaflet form to schools throughout the country. School children first recited the Pledge of Allegiance this way:
“I pledge allegiance to my Flag and to the Republic for which it stands one Nation indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.”
“The flag of the United States” replaced the words “my Flag” in 1923 because some foreign-born people might have in mind the flag of the country of their birth instead of the United States flag. A year later, “of America” was added after “United States.”
No form of the Pledge received official recognition by Congress until June 22, 1942, when the Pledge was formally included in the U.S. Flag Code. The official name of The Pledge of Allegiance was adopted in 1945. Another change in the language came on Flag Day 1954, when Congress passed a law, which added the words “under God” after “one nation.” In 1942 Congress also established the current practice of rendering the pledge with the right hand over the heart.
The Flag Code or “American Oath of Citizenship” specifies that any future changes to the pledge will be be with the consent of the President of the United States.
The Original (1892)
Francis Bellamy wrote the Pledge of Allegiance. It was first shared widely through the official program for the National Public Schools Celebration of Columbus Day. The text was printed in The Youth’s Companion on September 8, 1892, and mailed to schools across the country as leaflets. The first version was:
“I pledge allegiance to my Flag and to the Republic for which it stands one Nation indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.”
Early Updates (1923–1924)
- 1923: “My Flag” was changed to “the Flag of the United States.” The reason was that some foreign-born people might think of their birth country’s flag instead of the U.S. flag.
- 1924: The words “of America” were added, so it became “the Flag of the United States of America.”
Official Federal Recognition (1942–1945)
- June 22, 1942: Congress officially recognized the Pledge for the first time by including it in the U.S. Flag Code. At that same time, Congress set the current rule that people should recite it with their right hand over their heart.
- 1945: The text was officially named “The Pledge of Allegiance.”
The “Under God” Change (1954)
- June 14, 1954: On Flag Day, Congress passed a law adding “under God” after “one nation.”
The Flag Code or “American Oath of Citizenship” specifies that any future changes to the pledge will be be with the consent of the President of the United States.
Our New Pledge
To commemorate America’s 250th Anniversary of Independence, a proposed refinement to the “American Oath of Citizenship” would read:
I pledge allegiance to the Flag and Constitution of the United States of America and to the Republic for which they stand One Nation under God, Indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for All.
