The Pledge of Allegiance has become common practice in schools across the US since its original form written by Francis Bellamy in 1892. The recent political reckoning of the masses has particularly affected the youth, forcing them to become more aware of the political state of our country and reflect on its history. This has led many students to question their relationship with their country, especially concerning the Pledge of Allegiance.
“Why should I stand for a country that won’t stand for me?” junior Adelina Tellez said. “As a Mexican-American girl, I’ve experienced racism and misogyny because of this country.”
Being forced to say the Pledge of Allegiance since Kindergarten, Tellez never questioned the Pledge’s importance until she experienced racism and sexism firsthand causing her to think more critically about the custom of the Pledge, seeing it as a form of forced propaganda.
“I don’t see it as propaganda. I think in our history, it’s never been, to me, a propaganda thing,” History Teacher Deborah Hernandez said. “We have been really polarized in a lot of events that have, in my mind, really divided the country using our flag, using our foundations improperly.”
The original author, Francis Bellamy, hoped that it could be used in any country. He wrote it to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ voyage to the Americas. It wasn’t until 1923 the words, “the Flag of the United States of America” were added. In 1954, in response to the threat of communism, President Dwight Eisenhower encouraged Congress to add “under God” to the pledge, making it what it is today.
Hernandez has also been saying the Pledge since elementary school. Still, she sees the Pledge as a symbol that is unifying and a display of our constitution being one of the longest-lasting in human history.
“Even though I’ve never really had any immediate family members in the military, I’ve come to understand the importance of what our country was founded on and the honor and respect that we give our service members,” Hernandez said. “I think it’s really important, even in high school, to make sure we’re teaching the students to remember how important it is to respect and honor those who have served and those currently serving.”
Hernandez’s sentiment is not the product of a generational gap either. Some students share her views of the Pledge of Allegiance being a symbol of unity.
“I feel like it’s stigmatized, especially now. Some people like to sit or kneel nowadays, however, I just think that can become an issue,” junior Eliana Arriaga said. “I feel like younger generations or people who are just sitting for the flag, they’re kind of taking the privileges for granted kind of in a way and not acknowledging what we do have. I feel like it is stigmatized by the right. The Conservative Party has very much hijacked the flag and the pledge and what it means.”
Arriaga also grew up in a Mexican household, with her great-grandparents on both her paternal and maternal sides of the family immigrating from Mexico. Although she sees it as unifying, she says it’s not without its faults.
“We always say under God, and it was really important to people back then, but now, we use the word God like a very overarching term,” Arriaga said. “Not everyone believes in God. The pledge is supposed to be representative of everyone and if it’s excluding somebody, I feel like that could be an issue.”
Though many students and teachers may have strong opinions regarding the Pledge of Allegiance, many believe that the Pledge has become more habitual and less meaningful.
“I never really see it as pledging yourself to America,” junior Sofia Piedra Blanco said. “It’s just these words that Americans say in the morning. I feel like everyone’s just so used to it by now.”
Moving to America 8 years ago, Piedra Blanco became accustomed to the Pledge simply following what her peers were doing around her.
“Honestly, in elementary school, I did it because I thought it was important because everyone else was doing it. I don’t really think about it,” junior Brandon Viggo Castillo said.
The social pressure surrounding the Pledge has caused it to lose its meaning for some and cause resentment for others. Becoming such a normalized and habitual practice has distorted and permanently changed its meaning.
“I don’t think everybody knows why they’re doing it,” English Teacher Bonnie Middleton said. “A few years ago, when there were protests about it, and the kids were remaining seated, I felt like that was more valuable than just mindlessly standing. The fact that the kids are making conscious decisions to use it as protests, I thought that was really interesting.”
Middleton notes that the Pledge of Allegiance can be divisive in the school setting when that is the only place it is said. She sees it as unnecessary to the school setting and forceful to push onto kids.
“Unity and equality come from something very different than reciting a pledge every day. And it feels very cold for everybody to stand up and say it all at the same time. I don’t think it’s the band-aid for bringing the country together,” Middleton said.
While it can be seen as divisive and a form of propaganda for some, the connection some may have to it remains relevant and noteworthy.
“Not everyone is going to have that special meaning. For me, with my dad being in the military, or having been in the military, it was important to me, but I understand how that’s not important to others,” junior Krissily Estacio said. “Honestly, I don’t even say the Pledge of Allegiance every day because it’s not the pledge itself that’s important to me. It’s the meaning behind the Pledge.”