…one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all

Is our pledge of allegiance obsolete?

As a child, I recall the time in elementary school striving to memorize the words to the Pledge of Allegiance inscribed on the underside of the lid to my pencil box. While I did manage after a short while to recite the pledge without having to refer to my cardboard cheatsheet, I don’t know that I understood the meaning or import of the words I was uttering.

Now, as an adult, I have a better understanding of what the pledge was intended to express. Some have interpreted this brief statement of patriotism as a vow of fealty to government - I could not disagree more.  It is not truly a pledge to a piece of cloth, nor is it a contract of obeisance to government. It is a covenant with the rest of the people who live (legally) in this country, an embrace of the ideals that forged a new land. In fact, if anything, it is far more akin to that which the found fathers promised as they signed the Declaration of Independence:

And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

These men swore allegiance to one another, to the republic they were instituting, relying on God’s “Providence” for guidance and strength. They sought to build a united nation* from a diverse population.

Perhaps first understanding the meaning of the flag itself would be helpful. From the alternating stripes of red and white to the field of blue on which 50 stars appear, each element has meaning:

• the stars represents the fifty states united under the Constitution

• the blue field upon which the stars appear denotes vigilance, perseverance, and justice

• the red stripes depict valor and bravery, and in it may also be seen as the blood of those who gave their lives to establish and later to protect this country

• the white stripes symbolize purity and innocence

There should be no qualms from any American regarding this imagery. Who would argue against any such virtues? These are values upon which America was founded and around which we should all rally. We all pledged allegiance to these values each school day growing up. The House of Representatives and the Senate still begin each day’s session reciting this vow we all learned in our youth; still, most ignore the meaning.

At one time in the not-too-distant past, we did have a fairly unified country, though some may have held different political views; and as far as most Americans could tell (as a result of not understanding the Constitution), the government was operating as intended (though it really hasn’t done so for well over a century). We have come to a point in American history, however, where what once was intended to unite us in our love for our great land no longer rings true.

Look again at the verbiage of the Pledge of Allegiance and consider its veracity (or lack thereof):

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

"One nation"? nope - think “melting pot” vs. “tossed salad” (yeah, I know - it’s a trope). "Under God"? hardly - God is now eschewed from the public square. "Indivisible"? I don't think we've ever been more divided - even during the Civil War. “With liberty"? Nuh-uh - government won't allow that (how much liberty were people afforded during the Covid outbreak? How about liberty with our right to keep and bear arms? freedom of speech, even when considered “hateful” or “misinformation”?). “And justice for all"? Define "justice" and "all," because I see a system composed of at least two tiers (perhaps more).

Today, a vast swath of the citizenship has no allegiance to America (the people) nor to the founding principles of this republic (yes, we are a republic, not a democracy - Are you anti-democracy?). Besides the general population, you would be incredibly hard-pressed to find a politician in office (or seeking office) who is loyal to the American people (again, this is what the pledge is about) or their oath to uphold the Constitution (I do solemnly swear…so help me God). While this country was constructed on a foundation of rugged individualism, those rugged individuals who comprised it at the outset were also devoted to one another’s rights and liberty. They risked their lives to be freed from a distant autocrat, and they established a government intended to ensure their rights would not be infringed nor their liberties curtailed. Today that “distant autocrat” is Washington D.C., and instead of standing up for liberty, the populace is cowed into compliance under a tyrannical, unelected bureaucracy, regardless of those who rotate in and out of elected positions. This is anathema to the pledge and denies the very essence of that for which the founders fought.

In their desire for freedom and liberty, the founders sought to forge a national identity. While America technically has never been a “nation” (*there are differences in definitions of the word “nation,” though the most apt connotation is, as Merriam-Webster states, “a people having a common origin, tradition, and language and capable of forming or actually constituting a nation-state”), our founding fathers expected that the country would, as people integrated, become one. Once those coming here brought with them culture which enriched that of those already here, and those here chose to integrate elements of the cultures brought by those arriving. Now to do so is derided as “cultural appropriation,” and attempts for others to integrate is to subjugate themselves to “whiteness.” This has grown from an ever-increasing propensity for people to draw battle lines based on hyphenated appellations. Instead of striving for indivisibility, identity politics, CRT, and DEI have brought many to the point of thriving on division.

Something truly amazing was how divided people became over liberty during the Covid outbreak. All of the mask mandates, lockdowns, and attempts to force the shots on people revealed a startling number of people who prefer subjugation to liberty. Not only would these people submit themselves to tyrannical rule under political and intellectual “elites” (make no mistake - they’re not better or smarter than any of us - they are simply more power-hungry and more corrupt), they would force others, you and I included, to live under such despotism. How many attempted to intimidate the non-compliant with threats of violence or wishes of dire outcomes? What great multitudes averred that those who refused to acquiesce ought themselves to be refused medical treatment should they become ill. What ever happened to liberty for all?

Much like liberty, justice is no longer afforded to all. If there is one area of serious inequality in this country, it is justice. I am not talking about whether people of one chromaticity are incarcerated at a higher rate than others of different hues. There is a multi-tiered legal system now in place under which law is applied based upon ideology, political affiliation, or position of the alleged offender. It is difficult to consider a legal system balanced and unbiased when such disparity of dispensation is witnessed. It is disheartening at best watching those clearly guilty of crimes (corrupt politicians getting rich from foreign entities, DAs refusing to prosecute violent offenders) being let off with a slap on the wrist, if any punishment at all is administered. Worse are those who have committed no crime (or such minor infractions as to be irrelevant - like peacefully taking selfies while being led by Capitol police through the Capitol - yes, I realize that was not true of everyone who entered the Capitol on January 6, but it was the vast majority) receiving sham trials or unmerited sentences. The legal justice system has become a farce.

As for “under God,” He has been kicked out of class and banned from public spaces. While this phrase was a later addition to the pledge (1950s), it embodies a belief held by the founders. The Declaration of Independence itself reveals their belief in, and reliance on, a Supreme Being, creator of all and to whom all are accountable. They expected those who followed would hold that same belief, and though they were not all Christians, it was the Christian God to whom they gave deference (Trading liberty for license). Now, the mere mention of God in public raises the hair on people’s necks. “How dare you force your religion on me?!?!” “The church shouldn’t be involved in government; Jefferson himself said there’s a wall of separation between Church and State.” This, of course, is based on misconstruing the writings of the founding fathers (Misunderstanding Jefferson). Yet here we are, attempting to remove any remnant of God from polite society.

Lastly, the flag to which the pledge refers has itself become an offense. Many are more likely to burn, rather than salute, the stars and stripes about which Francis Scott Key penned our national anthem. Multitudes instead pledge allegiance to rainbow flags than that which stands for the ideals that built America. Some would fly the flags of other countries above our own. In protest of what they believed to be social injustice, professional athletes took to kneeling rather than standing in honor of this once-revered symbol. This, my readers, is tragic.

Any parents who have not engaged with their children to teach them the underlying meaning of the pledge of allegiance are failing those children, are failing each other, and are failing America. For those who believe this is a matter of teaching children to subordinate themselves to that faraway tyrant known as Washington D.C., I assure you, it is not; even the history reveals this. This is a matter of espousing ideals that birthed a never before seen, and heretofore unmatched, experiment in liberty and self-governance. If we are to save our country, to pursue that “promised land” so to speak, we must help our young understand the depth of meaning ensconced in these brief words and the commitment it entails to the values symbolized by the star-spangled banner that yet waves. If not, we will never achieve that relished goal of being “one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

If you don’t know the history of the pledge, Smithsonian Magazine has a rather thorough article on it: The Man Who Wrote the Pledge of Allegiance