Every morning, Manheim Township students along with other students in the nation, stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance, as they have been since kindergarten. But what students don’t know is that the pledge was propaganda created to instill nationalism, uphold ‘traditional’ American values, and keep them loyal to the country. As long as this pledge exists in schools, it needs to be presented as the option that it lawfully is, and not an expectation.

The original Pledge of Allegiance was written by Francis Bellamy, a socialist Baptist minister, in 1892. He revealed the intention behind the creation of the Pledge in his newspaper and essays. The Smithsonian Magazine states, “In a series of speeches and editorials that were equal parts marketing, political theory and racism, he argued that Gilded Age capitalism, along with ‘every alien immigrant of inferior race’, eroded traditional values, and that pledging allegiance would ensure ‘that the distinctive principles of true Americanism will not perish as long as free, public education endures.’” 

Bellamy’s disturbing intention behind creating the pledge was to instill nationalism in children. He was a nativist and a racist who wanted to make sure that “traditional values” were preserved, which to him meant white supremacy. 

By the time World War Two began, schools were requiring students to recite the pledge daily. In 1954 “Under God” was added to the pledge by Congress. This addition came during the Red Scare, and the government hoped that the addition of “under god” would separate Americans from “godless communists”, as stated in a piece by the Washington Post. This further reinforced the pledge as propaganda. In addition to upholding white supremacy, Christianity was added to the pledge’s message. This addition was concerning to many as it implied a religious America, despite the first amendment’s promise of separation of church and state. A Supreme Court case was brought against the addition, but the justices argued that it was purely ceremonial, leaving the addition in. This addition and its intention also made the pledge anti-communist propaganda.

For a country that emphasizes free speech, a pledge that indoctrinates students with specific values seems hypocritical. Not to mention that the pledge claims that America has “liberty and justice for all.” This is evidently not true, as many minority groups still struggle to have equal rights and protections under that law, and it certainly wasn’t true when the pledge was created. When the Pledge had students first saying that their country had liberty and justice for all, women couldn’t vote and Jim Crow laws terrorized Black people in the South. It was blatantly false then and it is now.

The present use of the Pledge of Allegiance doesn’t appear to be much better. While schools cannot legally punish students for not standing for the pledge, that doesn’t mean students aren’t being pressured. The Pledge is read over the announcements and children are sometimes told, not asked or given the option, to stand. Children are not going to decide to sit for the pledge when it isn’t given to them as an option, and everyone else is doing it. Even older students don’t really know the history and meaning behind the pledge, yet most of them still stand for it. In this way, students are being pressured to participate in a ritual that tells them what to believe.

The Pledge of Allegiance has a problematic history and meaning, yet it is a routine in American schools. It is propaganda and it is not a mandatory thing for students to participate in. While it is not seen as much more than tradition to many students, that is not all it is. People have a right to know what they are standing for. They are standing for a pledge created to uphold white supremacy, and encourage blind loyalty to the government. The pledge is propaganda rooted in racism and nationalism, and it needs to stop being pushed onto students.