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James Smith
English 11
Ms. Oberg
2 March, 2016
The Pledge of Allegiance
The Pledge of Allegiance was originally written by Francis Bellamy in 1892 for a
celebration of 400 years after the famous Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas, and
for the promotion and selling of the United States flag. Through the years there have been
changes to the Pledge by Congress, which were never authorized by Francis Bellamy. The words
Under God in the pledge were added in 1954 by Congress to make the Pledge not only a
patriotic oath [but also] a public prayer. The Pledge was taken by Congress and plagiarized to
fit their purposes, the words Under God violate the rights of the United States people of the
freedom of religion, and although some may say the words Under God should stay in the
pledge to give credit to God, many in the U.S. dont believe in a God or dont believe a Christian
God.
Plagiarism is stealing and is something that has been considered, in the United States and
worldwide, to be wrong. The original Pledge read, I pledge allegiance to my flag, and to the
Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with equality, liberty and justice for all by:
Francis Bellamy (The Pledge of Allegiance). According to, The Pledge of Allegiance A Short
History Bellamy disliked this change meaning his disliked the fact that congress changed the
Pledge from my Flag, to the Flag of the United States of America (Background Material).
Bellamy never gave permission for congress to take his pledge and change it and in doing so
Congress plagiarized his work, which he was proud of. They stole it for themselves, so they
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could use it for their own purposes. Plagiarism has generally been looked down on, but not many
realized that Congress themselves performed this terrible act. If Bellamy didnt like the fact that
Congress changed his Pledge the first time, it can be safely assumed that he wouldnt have liked
the adding of Under God.
The United States of America is a diverse and changing country and has been from the
start. One of the very things that the Founding Fathers fought for, freedom of religion, is being
violated with the use of the words under God in the pledge. According to The Pledge of
Allegiance [the founders] first priority when they added the Bill of Rights to the Constitution
reveals the importance they place on maintaining a Godless Constitution.. This shows that
the freedom of religion was originally very important and that the words under God go against
the very thing that the US. stands for.
Some people believe that the founding fathers would be rolling in their graves at the
fact of people wanting to take Under God out of the Pledge, they say that the reason that this
country is the greatest and so successful is all due to God. The problem with this is that so
many citizens of the U.S. do not believe in God and the pledge is for all the people of the U.S.
not just the Christians. Having Under God in the Pledge is making the Pledge a public pray
and according to One Nation Under God? For many in Congress, the words under God
[was a] distinction between the [U.S.] and the officially atheistic Soviet Union. The problem
with this is that the U.S. isnt all Christian, there are many atheistic citizens and other religions
that dont believe in a Christian God within the U.S.
The words under God in the Pledge of Allegiance is an absolute crime and it should not
be in the Pledge because it was plagiarized by Congress from its original state. It wasnt only
plagiarized but, it also violates the American peoples right to the freedom of religion, and
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although some may say that the founding fathers would be rolling in their graves, they were the
ones that fought so hard for the freedom of the American people. These simple words take those
very freedoms away from so many in the U.S.
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Works Cited
Baer, John W. The Pledge of Allegiance: A Short History. oldtimeislands.org. 2007. Web. 9
Feb. 2016.
Greenberg, David. The Pledge of Allegiance. slate.com. Washingtonpost.Newsweek
Interactive Co. LLC, 28 June, 2002. Web. 9 Feb. 2016.
One Nation Under God? A Constitutional Question. pewforum.org. The Pew Forum on
Religion & Public Life, 19 March, 2004. 7 pages.Web. 9 Feb. 2016.
The U.S. Pledge of Allegiance Background Material. religioustolerance.org. Ontario
Consultants on Religious Tolerance, 7 Feb. 2010. Web. 9 Feb. 2016.
