im 20 for reference. ever since i was a kid, up until hs, we were forced every morning to stand, look at the flag and hold our hearts and say:
“I pledge allegiance to 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”
i didnt stand a single time because i disagreed with being forced, and i was berated by the teacher in front of everyone, and he threatened to kick me out of class if i ever did it again. i was about 11-12 then, it was 2015.
- As school children, we swore this oath. It describes loyalty to the flag and (more importantly) the nation and ideals that the flag represents.
- As a child, I would just be silent during the ‘under god’ part. No one noticed. If they had, there isn’t really anything they could do about it.
- There have been lawsuits. Basically, you are not legally obligated to say it. There would be a lot of peer pressure to do so, because each of our school days would start with the whole class saying it.
- Again, it is controversial, but you are not technically forced to say it.
Here is a breakdown of what the pledge means:
“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America”
I swear loyalty to the flag
“and to the Republic for which it stands,”
and to the government it represents
“one Nation under God,”
a country guided by the Lord!
“indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”
united, with freedom and justice for everyone*
*terms and conditions apply