9781422287545

12 The Pledge of Allegiance: Story of One Indivisible Nation

himself what the early Americans had lived for and handed down, he wrote down the words “lib- erty and justice.” To bring that purpose to pass, he later said, was all one coun- try could do. And if liberty

Make Connections The former Youth’s Companion office build-

ing in Boston is now known as “The Pledge of Allegiance Building.” It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

and justice were exercised “for all,” they evoked the spir- it of equality and fraternity that Bellamy admired in the French slogan. As he finished putting the words to paper, a cooling Boston sea breeze came into the window. Bellamy went to his door and shouted for Upham, who had been wait- ing in another room: “Come and hear what I’ve got!” What Bellamy had on that August day in 1892 were the 23 words that constituted the first nationally accept- ed pledge of allegiance to the American flag. That first pledge was written this way: “I pledge allegiance to my Flag and to the Republic for which is stands—one Nation indivisible—with liberty and justice for all.” Other words would be added to this pledge in later decades, but its intent and meaning would remain the same. As years passed and generations of schoolchildren made the pledge a part of their daily classroom ritual , the pledge became one of the first patriotic sentiments learned by youth, and one of the last forgotten in old age. After reading Bellamy’s pledge that night, Upham