The Pledge Of Allegiance Was A Marketing Ploy Designed To Sell Flags

Americans know the Pledge of Allegiance very well – the great majority of US states require school children to recite it every single morning. But not many of us know the true history of the Pledge of Allegiance, or that of its author, Francis Bellamy.

While it's true that the Pledge of Allegiance was created as a way to instill patriotism in American kids, it's also so much more than that. The Pledge has gone through several transformations, each of which provides a really interesting insight into the fears and desires of the United States at a particular point in history.

#PledgeOfAllegiance #AmericanFlag #WeirdHistory

[mantaskatleris]

So basically every tradition in US was made by a candy or a liquer company to sell more stuff. Got it

[greywaren]

Its so weird how I repeated it everyday from kindergarten to sixth grade but we were never taught the meaning

[jessedanger]

If weird history is making videos like this, what they should cover next is how the automobile industry sabotaged public transportation across America.

[GrinderCB]

Lots of American traditions and rituals came about as a result of marketing campaigns. It's well-known that diamond wedding rings became a thing because of the diamond cartels in South Africa. White wedding gowns and tuxedos became a thing after European royalty popularized them in the 1800's with help from fashion designers. Designating blue for boys and pink for girls was also from marketing campaigns for baby clothes and other things over a hundred years ago. Today it all seems ridiculous, although I know quite a few brides who wouldn't be caught dead getting married in anything other than white.

[TheBronyBraeburn]

I can't say "Today is *insert month and day here* " without mentally adding "please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance." 8 years of morning announcements in grade school has beaten it into me.

[ericspencer]

As a little tyke in the 70s, I remember resenting being made to participate in this ceremony every morning at school. I couldn't say why, or what troubled me about it, but I quickly adapted a sneaky non-participation method. I stood with the other students, bowed my head, and said not a word. I kept my hands at my sides or tucked behind me. Nobody ever noticed; which taught me a valuable lesson: that the whole exercise was ultimately meaningless. Not participating had no more effect on the state of the nation, or my classmates, town, etc. than participating did. So, what's the point? Anyway, as I grew older I came to understand what was wrong to me with the ritual: it's effectively a prayer, not to a god, but to the nation itself, and that has always rubbed me the wrong way.

[stoneytheclown]

And it worked well. The US are definitely the most 'flaggy' nation I've been to

[comradelk]

It's kinda funny in Russia, because some of officials recently came to idea to introduce same practise in our schools literally because "Americans doing this for decades, why we can't"

[mokomothman]

The original version of the Pledge of Allegiance did not include the words “under God.” The patriotic oath – attributed to a Baptist minister named Francis Bellamy and published in a children’s magazine in September 1892 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ voyage to America – read: “I pledge allegiance to my flag and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

Congress added “Under God” to the Pledge in 1954 – during the Cold War. Many members of Congress reportedly wanted to emphasize the distinctions between the United States and the officially atheistic Soviet Union.

It only worked because it was an antithesis to communism, particularly in the 'god' department.

That being said, the argument that this country is 'Christian' in the sense that some folks recognize their belief in, is strictly a cognitive dissonance. This country was founded by people who believed in a universal creator- they were Deist, in matters of political understanding, each having to themselves, their own sectarian identities and sensibilities.

So yes, the pledge can be for you, especially if you strive to make it a better place than you found it, but you have to be the one to defend those ideals that benefit everyone equally, that gives justice to everyone. A government can't do it. You can. So make something of it.

[Die-CastMetal]

Having pride in one’s country holds a lot of value for many, possessing the right to safely speak against one’s government, priceless.

[kellylquest]

My son had to prove “under god” wasn’t in the original version to his 9th grade Social studies teacher last week. Luckily I had a pamphlet, with the original version, that came in an old WWII war plane puzzle.

[junemarieweaver]

I got suspended from school because I refused to do the pledge of allegiance and wanted to know why we did it all together. It was a rebellious stage yet it always seemed weird to me.

[peterf.prowant]

"Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister and Christian socialist from upstate New York, went so far as to swear in at least two affidavits that he had formulated the oath one blistering August night in 1892 in the Boston headquarters of a magazine for young people that he was promoting."

[TheZenGarden_]

That's why they call it the "American Dream", because you have to be asleep to believe it. ~ George Carlin

[lisapeesalemonsqueezah]

As a Canadian, the American pledge of allegiance really creeps me out. Imagine how weird and cult-like that would be

[lavenderlylin]

Me, an independent historian who came from a family of staunch conservative Christian nationalists: I KNEW IT

[NewMessage]

"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Commercialism for which it stands..."

[BaronessErsatz]

Let's face it: That flag has more protocols attached to it than any other banner on the whole planet!

[NextToToddliness]

From diamond engagement rings to flags, the foundation of Americana is nothing more than a long-running QVC ad.

[tremorsfan]

I once calculated how many times I said the Pledge from kindergarten till about 6th grade. I can't remember the exact number but I figured that I had proven my loyalty enough.