U.S. Pledge of Allegiance

Table of Contents

Introduction
Pro Quotes
Con Quotes
Student Rights and the Pledge of Allegiance
Historical Timeline
- 1887-1918
  - 1887 - Early Campaign for Patriotism in Public Schools
  - Oct. 1888 - The Youth’s Companion Campaigns for US Flags in Public Schools
  - Apr. 1891 - Francis Bellamy Hired to Organize National Public School Celebration
  - 1892 - Youth’s Companion Organizes Columbus Day Events
  - Sep. 1892 - Bellamy’s Pledge of Allegiance Is Published
  - Oct. 1892 - Pledge Publicized on Columbus Day
  - 1895 - Balch’s Flag Salute for Schools Published
  - 1896-1898 - Custom of Rising for the Flag Begins
  - Apr. 22, 1898 - First Law Requiring Pledge Recitation in Schools Passed in New York
  - 1917 - World War I Increases Demand for US Flag
  - 1918 - Prosecutions for Flag Desecration
- 1919-1954
  - June 14-15, 1923 - National Flag Code Adopted at National Flag Conference, Includes Pledge
  - 1924 - Flag Code Gains Acceptance
  - 1925 - Ku Klux Klan Endorses Flag Code
  - June 3, 1940 - Supreme Court Rules That Students Can Be Expelled for Refusing to Recite Pledge
  - June 22, 1942 - Flag Code Becomes Law
  - Dec. 22, 1942 - Congress Changes Flag Salute to Hand over Heart Instead of Straight Arm Salute
  - June 14, 1943 - Supreme Court Rules That Children Cannot Be Forced to Recite Pledge
  - Feb. 12, 1948 - Sons of the American Revolution Chaplain Includes ’under God’ in Pledge Recitation
  - Apr. 22, 1951 - Knights of Columbus Add ’Under God’ to Pledge Recited at Meetings
  - 1952-1954 - Hearst Campaigns to Add ’Under God’ to Pledge
  - 1953 - House and Senate Introduce Bills to Add ’Under God’ to Pledge
  - May 11, 1954 - Library of Congress Makes Recommendation Concerning the Pledge
  - June 14, 1954 - President Eisenhower Signs Law Adding ’Under God’ to Pledge
- 1955-1999
  - June 17, 1963 - Supreme Court States That Reciting Pledge May Not Be a Religious Exercise
  - July 5, 1983 - Supreme Court Says ’Under God’ Does Not Violate Establishment Clause
  - Mar. 5, 1984 - ’Under God’ Referenced in Supreme Court Nativity Scene Ruling
  - June 4, 1985 - Supreme Court Says ’Under God’ Not Unconstitutional
  - Sep. 13, 1988 - US House Begins Pledge Recitations
  - July 3, 1989 - Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy References Pledge
  - Jan. 24, 1992 - Seventh Circuit Court Rules That Students May Opt Out of Reciting Pledge
  - June 24, 1992 - Supreme Court Declares School Prayers Unconstitutional
  - June 24, 1999 - Daily Pledge Recitation Instituted in US Senate
- 2000-2009
  - Mar. 14, 2001 - Michael Newdow Files Suit Arguing That ’Under God’ in Pledge Is Unconstitutional
  - June 27, 2002 - Ninth Circuit Court Declares Pledge to Be ’Impermissible Government Endorsement of Religion’
  - Aug. 9, 2002 - Justice Department Appeals to Ninth Circuit for ’en banc’ rehearing
  - Oct. 30, 2002 - President Bush Signs Bill Supporting ’Under God’ in the Pledge
  - Feb. 28, 2003 - Ninth Circuit Rejects Bush’s Appeal to Reconsider Constitutionality of ’Under God’
  - July 18, 2005 - Court Narrows Newdow Pledge Case
  - Mar. 4, 2003 - Judge Issues Stay in ’Under God’ Case
  - Mar. 4, 2003 - US Senate Declares Support for Pledge
  - May 20, 2003 - House Passes Resolution Challenging Ninth Circuit Decision
  - Oct. 14, 2003 - US Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Newdow Case
  - June 14, 2004 - Supreme Court Overturns Ninth Circuit Decision
  - Sep. 23, 2004 - US House Passes Bill to Protect Pledge
  - Jan. 6, 2005 - Newdow Files Second Lawsuit
  - Aug. 10, 2005 - Appeals Court Upholds Virginia Pledge
  - Sep. 14, 2005 - Federal Judge Rules in Favor of Newdow
  - Sep. 29, 2005 - House Passes Resolution Calling for Supreme Court to Uphold Pledge
  - July 19, 2006 - Pledge Protection Act Passes in House
  - Jan. 29, 2007 - 2007 Pledge Protection Act Introduced to House
  - Oct. 31, 2007 - Michael Newdow Files New Challenge to the Pledge of Allegiance
  - Dec. 4, 2007 - Ninth Circuit Hears Second Newdow Case
- 2010-2019
  - Mar. 11, 2010 - Ninth Circuit Upholds ’Under God’ in Second Newdow Case
  - Sep. 4, 2013 - ’Under God’ Challenged in Massachusetts Supreme Court
  - May 9, 2014 - Massachusetts Supreme Court Upholds ’Under God’ in the Pledge of Allegiance
  - Feb. 4, 2015 - New Jersey Superior Court Upholds ’Under God’ in the Pledge of Allegiance
  - Oct. 2, 2017 - India Landry Expelled from Texas School for Refusing to Stand and Recite Pledge
  - Jan. 29, 2019 - College Reinstates Pledge in Wake of Controversy
  - Feb. 2019 - Florida Sixth Grader Arrested for Refusal to Stand and Recite Pledge

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images

loyalty; Pledge of Allegiance

Discover

African Americans demonstrating for voting rights in front of the White House as police and others watch, March 12, 1965. One sign reads, "We demand the right to vote everywhere." Voting Rights Act, civil rights.

Timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement

World Data Locator Map: Australia

Is Australia an Island?

Rural Irish landscape, Sligo, Ireland.

Why Is Ireland Two Countries?

Panoramic view at sunrise of moai, Ahu Tongariki, Easter Island (Rapa Nui), Chile

6 Lost Civilizations

The Colosseum, Rome, Italy. Giant amphitheatre built in Rome under the Flavian emperors. (ancient architecture; architectural ruins)

New Seven Wonders of the World

A mug shot taken by the regional Colombia control agency in Medellin

Pablo Escobar: 8 Interesting Facts About the King of Cocaine

Moonrise over Tucson, Arizona

Why Doesn’t Arizona Observe Daylight Saving Time?

U.S. Pledge of Allegiance: Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Photos

loyalty; Pledge of Allegiance

See All Images →

Topics

church and state ACLU D.C. and Puerto Rico Statehood Filibuster Congressional Term Limits Mandatory National Service Homelessness U.S. Supreme Court American Socialism National Anthem Explainer Impeachment Explainer