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                    A Salute to the Flag and Pledge of Allegiance
                    posted by: Cindy Omlin | June 09, 2014, 12:37 PM   

                    flagThis June marks the 60th anniversary of the addition of the words "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance, words that continue to provoke controversy and lawsuits despite presidents clearly invoking God's help and protection for the country throughout the nation's history.  For example, President John F. Kennedy, in the inaugural president address in which he famously called on Americans to "ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country," also stated "the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God."

                    On Flag Day, June 14, 1954, President Eisenhower signed into law a resolution amending the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance with the addition of the words "under God."  He later wrote, "These words will remind Americans that despite our great physical strength we must remain humble.  They will help us to keep constantly in our minds and hearts the spirit and moral principles which alone give dignity to man, and upon which our way of life is founded."

                    This May, the Massachusetts Supreme Court upheld a lower-court ruling that states recitation of the Pledge in public schools does not violate the state's constitution.  In the Acton-Boxborough Regional School District case, the court wrote that the reference to God in the Pledge is a "fundamentally patriotic exercise, not a religious one."  See more here.

                    For an interesting history of the addition of the words "under God" to the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance and subsequent challenges, see the article on pages 9-12 of the June 2014 issue of Columbia magazine.

                    Gateways to Better Education provides teaching resources here and ehow.com provides teaching resources here and here.

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