One Nation under God

1219 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Should stay in the pledge

...ONE NATION UNDER (INSERT BELIEF HERE) One of my few clear memories as a child in school unfortunately is not of history, math or reading class. I can though, clearly remember standing in Mrs. Collins' classroom just after morning announcements, reciting The Pledge of Allegiance. Never really dissecting the words to it, I only knew that it was a matter of pride in our country that we recited the pledge. Today still, children across the country every morning recite the pledge, I hope with the same pride. Three years ago in California, a father voiced that it was unlawful for his daughter to recite the pledge with the words, "under God." It seemed like a menial disagreement between a father and a school, but soon turned into one of the most controversial court battles in recent years. This American that took offense to the pledge took this controversy all the way to the highest court, and lost. I have said this before and this situation makes even more evident, America has a great religious diversity, but does not always have a tolerance for religion (or lack there of). The religious right was outraged, newspapers and web sites posted headlines such as, "U.S. Court Votes to Bar Pledge of Allegiance," and "Lawmakers Blast Pledge Ruling." This was a result of an atheist by the name of Michael A. Newdow taking his daughter's school to court because she had to recite the pledge of allegiance every morning. Though children had been reciting this pledge in habit since the early 1920s, Newdow was upset that God was being forced on his daughter. That was not necessarily controversial, but the decision by the 9th Circuit Courts on the matter, which determined the pledge unconstitutional, did cause a stir. The court caus... ... middle of paper ... ... href="http://www.aclu.com">http://www.aclu.com Supreme Court Dismisses 'Under God' Pledge Suit Retrieved on October 27, 2004, from http://religiontoday.com/1268348.html Bill HR 2028 RDS Retrieved on October 27, 2004, from http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c108:4:.temp~c108HpEiIr:: House passes Pledge Protection Act Retrieved on October 25, 2004, from http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=Nationarchive200409NAT20040923c.html The Ten Commandments Retrieved on October 25, 2004, from http://www.Godstenlaws.com/commandments.htm

Show More
Related

  • Abington V. Schempp Case Study

    731 Words  | 2 Pages

    This example of a Supreme Court case shows that the court is not above politics. Even though most Americans, including government officials, practiced some form of Christianity, the judges were not willing to compromise the information in the Constitution for the popular beliefs of individuals. I agree with the Supreme Court in its decision to ban the practice of prayer in public schools. Not only does it violate the Constitution, but it encroaches on our freedom of thought and action. Being excluded from a public classroom because of personal beliefs does not sound just.

    Read More

  • Elk Grove Unified School District V Newdow Summary

    1838 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Supreme Court case in Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow result in a unanimous ruling that the phrase “under God” may remain in the Pledge of Allegiance as narrated in public school classrooms. The court made the decision because the atheist father did not have grounds to sue the school district on behalf of his daughter. While the ruling was made on the Flag Day, it did not meet the clear endorsement of the constitutionality of the pledge as sought by President Bush and leaders of Republican and Democratic Parties in Congress. Notably, the eight judges who participated in the case had voted to turn over a federal appeals court decision in 2003 that would have prohibited the use of the phrase in public schools as an infringement of the constitutional outlaw on state-sponsored religion. A majority of these justices i.e. five made that ruling on procedural grounds in which Michael A. Newdow, the atheist, did not have legal reasons to sue the school district (Lane, 2004).

    Read More

  • The Words UNDER GOD Should Be Removed from the Pledge of Allegiance

    1214 Words  | 3 Pages

    President Obama sat down with the President of Turkey and told him “We have a very large Christian population, we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation; we consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values” (White House Press Release). Although the United States has a large Christian following we also have many religions within our culture; with an ongoing conflict against citizens that are nonreligious, Atheist, Agnostic, etcetera. The two words that were added to the Pledge of Allegiance proves the favoring of religion in a secular government. Even though the pledge does have a loyalty amongst the majority of citizens, we should remove the words "Under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance because by removing the words "Under God" it will give equality to everyone, hold us to be a Secular Government, not a Christian Nation and ?

    Read More

  • Thomas Jefferson on Separation of Church and State

    2333 Words  | 5 Pages

    A popular notion among many religious conservatives is the rejection of what is commonly referred to as the separation between church and state. They maintain the United States was founded by leaders who endorsed Christian principles as the cornerstone of American democracy, and that the First Amendment prohibition against government establishment was not intended to remove religion from public life. As a result, a number of disputes have made their way through to the courts, pitting those ready to defend the wall of separation, against those who would tear it down. Two recent cases have brought this battle to the forefront of political debate. The first involves an Alabama Supreme Court justice, who, in defiance of a Federal judge, fought the removal of a granite display of the Ten Commandments from the rotunda of the state courthouse. Also, a California man has challenged the constitutionality of the phrase “under God” in an upcoming Supreme Court case involving student recitation of the pledge of allegiance.

    Read More

  • The Pledge Of Allegiance In The Public School System

    1886 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Pledge of Allegiance has become a major issue for students, teachers, parents and lawmakers. The original intention of the pledge was not to stir up trouble, but for a celebration of Christopher Columbus discovery of the new world. The pledge is no longer thought of as a celebration, but an infringement on children's religious beliefs. Do you believe that children's rights are being infringed on? Some people believe that the pledge is a great honor for our country. It has shown, and provided us with great pride just like our American flag. The Pledge of Allegiance being recited in the public school system does not infringe on the students religious beliefs, but is a way for us to honor our country and everything that we have done to get to this point in history.

    Read More

  • Teachers' Understanding of the Pledge of Allegiance

    4007 Words  | 9 Pages

    Although the custom had fallen off prior to 9/11, a great many American public schools begin the school day by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. The recitation of a promise to support the flag and the country it represents constitutes an oath that is said by almost every student and teacher daily. We are concerned that the recitation of the pledge has gone unexamined by both teacher and student. While it may be acceptable for religious institutions to demand oath without analysis, public schools should be and are held to a different standard. Fostering the critical analysis of the documents that have supported our country is part of the rights and responsibilities of the American school system and those whom it employs.

    Read More

  • The Pledge of Allegiance

    1844 Words  | 4 Pages

    Before analyzing the above described controversy, we must first examine the history of the Pledge itself. Written by Francis Bellamy, it was originally titled the “Pledge to the Flag” and was created in the late 1800’s to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America. It originally read: “I pledge allegiance to my Flag and to the republic for which it stands, one Nation, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all” (McCarthy, 2005). Changes were later made to include the words “of the United States” and “of America” to indicate which flag was being referenced. The final changes to the Pledge came in 1954 when it officially became titled the “Pledge of Allegiance” and the words “under God” were added after “one nation.” This addition to the Pledge was meant to support the United States as a religious nation. While signing the law to put this change into effect, President Eisenhower said, “In this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country’s most powerful resource in peace and war” (McCarthy, 2005).

    Read More

  • The Pledge Of Allegiance

    1560 Words  | 4 Pages

    The case Elk Grove Unified School District versus Newdow came about when a student parent, Michael Newdow, an atheist, has a disagreement with the Pledge of Allegiance. Elk Grove Unified School District is a public elementary school where teachers begin the day by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, but it is considering being voluntary. Under California law, all elementary schools must recite the Pledge of Allegiance once a day unless those student object due to their religion. As stated before, in 1954 the Congressional Act added the words “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance. Michael Newdow took it upon himself to review the School District policy referring to the religious portion. This caused Michael Newdow to sue in the federal district court in California, stating making students listen to the Pledge of Allegiance, even if the students do not choose to participate to the word “under God” violates the establishment clause of the United States Constitution’s First Amendment

    Read More

  • The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism

    884 Words  | 2 Pages

    I’d like you to all stand up and recite the pledge of allegiance along with me please. I pledge allegiance, to the flag, of the United States of America. To the nation, for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Now I ask you, how many of you do not believe in a God? You see, the pledge of allegiance has been indoctrinated into us since elementary school. We are blindly following an oath of loyalty to our country, expected to recite what we may or may not believe in. We come from many different backgrounds and many different religions, and who has the right to tell us what we believe in and what we don’t? No one. The pledge of allegiance should not be forced on anyone because it violates key first amendment rights, is a form of brainwashing, and a feature of a totalitarian state.

    Read More

  • No Prayer in Public Schools

    735 Words  | 2 Pages

    Chapter three of Civil Liberties: Opposing Viewpoints inspired me to research today’s issues of school prayer. To understand how we got to where we are today, I first delved into our countries history of court cases pertaining to rulings on prayer in schools. Lastly, to update my audience on how our lives are being affected today, I directed my efforts toward finding current situations. By analyzing these situations, I gained knowledge for a better understanding of why society needs to be aware of these controversies. I don’t think there should be any form of organized prayer in today’s public schools.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Examining The Pledge Of Allegiance

    2091 Words  | 5 Pages

    Do you normally repeat words and phrase, without fully understanding the meaning, just because people tell you to? Well many of us growing up in the United States are guilty of this and we don’t even realize it. Ever since the first day of kindergarten students are taught to recite the Pledge of Allegiance every morning before class, and students who refused to do so were ostracized by the rest of the students in the class. The pledge was put in place for citizens of the United States to show their patriotism towards this country, but as five year olds we were just doing what the teachers had told us to do. We didn’t understand the actually meaning of the words we were saying which completely defeats the purpose of the pledge in the first place.

    Read More

  • Pledge Of Allegiance Persuasive Essay

    840 Words  | 2 Pages

    When the morning announcements come on and say, “Please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance,” people normally don’t think anything of it, but to stand up and recite a few lines to something they learned in kindergarden. However, some people may feel it is wrong to say the Pledge based upon a religion that they practice. Requiring students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance does violate the First Amendment due to the fact that they are protected under the Freedom of Speech clause. This is seen through The Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow case,  The West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette case, and The Massachusetts Supreme Court case. In the following cases, it is discussed whether or not it is fair to force students to stand up and recite the Pledge of Allegiance while in school.

    Read More

  • One Nation, Under God

    2046 Words  | 5 Pages

    Rieff, Burt. "Conflicting Rights and Religious Liberty: The School-Prayer Controversy in Alabama, 1962-1985." Alabama Review 3(2001):163. eLibrary. Web. 31 Aug. 2011.

    Read More

  • The Pledge Of Allegiance Essay

    856 Words  | 2 Pages

    Gwen Wilde wrote an essay on “Why the Pledge of Allegiance Should be Revised.” In this essay, Gwen believes that the words “under God” should be removed from the Pledge of Allegiance. Gwen informs us that the original Pledge did not include “under God” and the words were not added until 1942, therefore, the words can easily be removed. Although some changes have been made to make it clear that the Pledge of Allegiance is for the United States Gwen believes that the words “under God” do not show any support for our country and only make those who do not believe in God feel uncomfortable. Therefore, Gwen believes that “under God” is not appropriate for the Pledge and does not show that we are a Nation that is “indivisible.”

    Read More

  • The American Education

    1841 Words  | 4 Pages

    At this time, religion played a major role on the educational system in the sense that all types of religious groups were represented in the American school system, but they were challenged with how they could be loyal to their religions beliefs. With the 'Pledge of Allegiance' present, some people felt as though the values of Americans and the "Creators'" beliefs should be taught in the classrooms. Of course, others felt that religion and school should be separate. As a result of disagreements such as these, many problems arose.

    Read More

More about One Nation under God

Open Document