The Pledge of Allegiance: Always 'under God'?

November 11, 10:33 PMAlbany Interfaith Spirituality ExaminerLinda Van Slyke

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President Eisenhower at NY Ave Presbyterian Church

High upon a hillside in Little Falls, NY sits a tiny park with a monument to The Reverend Francis J. Bellamy, author of The Pledge of Allegiance.

The Reverend Bellamy was minister of the First Baptist Church in Little Falls from 1879 to 1885.  During that time, he also was a member of Little Falls (Masonic) Lodge No. 181.

Francis Bellamy was deep into the Christian Socialist movement (which today would be akin to Liberation Theology or the Social Gospel doctrine).  Ironically, this ended up costing him his Baptist ministry.

By this time, Bellamy had moved on to Boston, and had become heavily involved with the schoolhouse flag movement.  The goal of this movement was to place an American flag atop each and every school in the nation.  This project afforded Bellamy an outlet for his unique patriotic fervor, a fervor which was rooted in his Christian Socialist ideals for America.

Bellamy's Pledge of Allegiance became the icing on this cake.  However, his original wording never mentioned America by name, nor did it contain any direct reference to God or the Divine.

I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

This was Bellamy's concise 1892 oath, which he said was mostly inspired by the ideals of the Revolutionary War (the Republic), the Civil War (one nation indivisible), and the French Revolution (liberty and justice for all).

This Pledge was almost immediately a rousing success.  Soon it was being recited (complete with arm and hand gestures) throughout the land.

However, the American public couldn't help but begin the editing process.  Bellamy's long-range recommendations were not only ignored, but also opposed.  The man who echoed "liberty and justice" throughout the land was - once again - being cast aside.

In 1923 and 1924 Bellamy's words "my Flag" were changed to"the Flag of the United States of America" by the American Legion and the Daughters of the American Revolution.

It wasn't until 1954 that the phrase "under God" was officially incorporated into the Pledge.  This took some doing, given the ongoing controversy regarding the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment.  Louis A. Bowman, Chaplain of the Illinois Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, is given credit for initiating this by linking it (on Lincoln's birthday) to Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.  With a whole lot of subsequent lobbying from the Catholic Knights of Columbus and the Presbyterians, President Eisenhower (who had just been baptized a Presbyterian) signed this bill on June 14 (Flag Day).

However, the controversy continues as challengers take their cases to federal courts in search of what they, too, consider is "liberty and justice for all"...

Additional Resources

http://www.ncteamericancollection.org/litmap/bellamy_francis_ny.htm  (Bellamy's early life, too)

http://www.oldtimeislands.org/pledge/pledge.htm  (concise history of Pledge of Allegiance)

http://www.answers.com/topic/pledge-of-allegiance  (includes facts about modern-day controversy)

http://www.answers.com/topic/francis-bellamy  (includes explanation of Bellamy's inspirations)

http://www.njfreemason.net/brother_francis_bellamy.htm  (detailed historic accounting)