I pledge allegiance 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.
Although the Pledge of Allegiance was written down when it was first penned by Francis Bellamy (I love how our pledge and our national anthem are both written by a Francis) and it is easy to get a copy of the famous words, this and other pledges are forms of oral knowledge. Many did not learn our country's pledge by simply looking down at a page and memorizing words. We learned the pledge through repetition of these words at school, at baseball games, at graduations and assemblies. We've learned it from parents, veterans, and teachers.
It has been passed down orally for the past one-hundred and ninety two
years and is, in my opinion, the best oral tradition our country has.
This isn't really related to the oral knowledge part, but if you look at the link, one of the symbols used to be putting your hand over your heart until you reached the words "to the flag", and then you would stretch your hand out towards the flag, palm down. Unfortunately, this was too close to the Heil Hitler sign, and it was simplified to just placing the hand over the heart. Just thought that was really interesting!
ReplyDeleteJenna, I would never have thought of the pledge as an oral tradition, but that's exactly what it is! I tried to think back to how I learned the Pledge of Allegiance, and I remember that the words were always posted by the flags in elementary school, but I knew it before I even knew how to read because I remember reciting it in preschool. How cool is that? Great memories for me - I loved this post.
ReplyDeleteI PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO...When a person gives their allegiance they are promising to stand for something, and in this instance it is THE FLAG...the flag is they symbol of our country. It has fifty stars that symbolize the fifty states and thirteen stripes that symbolize the thirteen original colonies OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA...the country stretches from the Atlantic to the Pacific, contains rivers and lakes and mountains and plains and deserts and beaches and canyons and some of the most diverse plant and animal life on earth. AND TO THE REPUBLIC...the United States is a republic because the people choose representatives to make its laws. FOR WHICH IT STANDS...'it' is the flag because it stands as a symbol of America. ONE NATION...although the United States is composed of fifty states that are geographically and culturally diverse, they all belong to one nation and the people in them, whether they are New Yorkers or Californians, are all Americans. UNDER GOD...many Americans, especially Latter-day Saints, believe that this country was divinely inspired of God as a place where all people could be granted the right of religious freedom. INDIVISIBLE...this word means that the country, although divided in the past because of instances like the Civil War, is a unified country...WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL...everyone in America--in today's America--no matter the color of their skin, no matter their sex, and no matter their social standing, have natural rights and will be treated fairly in this country. That is AMERICA!
ReplyDeleteI thought this was a very intriguing post Jenna, I think the Pledge of Allegiance is a folk knowledge we take for granted nowadays. I don't think reflect upon the real meaning it has as a symbol for our country and the way it was founded. An example of this that I have seen recently is the controversy over whether students should be forced to stand up and recite the pledge each morning. In our attempt to question every authority we have, I think, disrespected the foundation of our nation by trying to exercise our freedom in a way that disrespects our nation for no logical reason. I thought this was an interesting way in which this folk knowledge has been lost or become less important especially among younger people today.
ReplyDeleteThis post brings up another one of those things that you miss seeing just from familiarity. We've all said the Pledge so many times, but I don't think I've ever stopped to wonder where it came from or who created the words. Thanks for bringing up this topic - and thanks for that link to the website also, it was very informative, even about the little details. I loved seeing how the wording of the pledge has evolved over time, with people adding to it here and there and refining it to better describe what it's trying to say.
ReplyDeleteAndrew, I wanted to keep on going with your comment. It really does make you wonder about the future of our country as the importance of God and respect for the country seem to be slipping. If we go back to the founding of our country, we can see such a reliance on God. "One nation, under God". Our country's fate is laid out clearly in the Book of Mormon. If we remember God and keep his commandments, our land will continue to be a land of liberty. If not, we have no such promise. There has been such a noticeable transition towards the Sophic and a lack of dependence on a higher being in our country. The American Dream is now about number one and getting yourself to the top. Once you're there, you take the credit and the glory. The Pledge of Allegiance reminds us of the good old days. It reminds of the Mantic state of mind that our country was based upon.
ReplyDelete