Debating the Constitutionality of the Pledge of Allegiance

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The Pledge of Allegiance is currently just the small amount of thirty-one words, and only two of these words are the source of much debate within our country today. This pledge has changed throughout the years, since it was published in 1892, in seemingly small ways. Yet these two words have threatened the constitutionality of the pledge itself, and have been the cause for many an argument. Why do these two small words make so many people uncomfortable in reciting the pledge? Although the words are small, they signify much by being placed in our flag’s national pledge. The Constitution, in the establishment clause of the First Amendment, prevents the establishment of an official religion by Congress. Some people believe that these two words, added to the Pledge of Allegiance, are unconstitutional. From the amount of information that I have gathered on this controversial subject, I have come to the conclusion that these words are not unconstitutional. …show more content…

It was published in September 1892. This original draft was as follows: “I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." It was not the pledge we recite today. In 1923, the pledge was altered from saying, “I pledge allegiance to my flag,” to “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States,” so as not to confuse immigrant children during recitation. The addition of, “of America” was made later. The use of the words, “under god,” following “one nation,” began in the late 1940s, and happened a few times after

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