02 Sep No, George Washington Did Not “Pledge Allegiance to the Flag”
I had resolved to say nothing about Sarah Palin — really I had. But since I was sent home from school in Junior High for eliminating the “under God” part of the Pledge of Allegiance when it was my turn to read it over the school intercom, I just couldn’t let this go. Palin was asked in 2006, during her gubernatorial campaign, whether she was offended by the Pledge’s “under God” phrase. She responded:
“Not on your life. If it was good enough for the founding fathers, its [sic] good enough for me and I’ll fight in defense of our Pledge of Allegiance.”
As Steve Benen points out at the Political Animal, and as I knew when I was 14, the Pledge of Allegiance was written in 1892 and didn’t include the phrase “under God” until 1954.
Ah, the empty rituals of patriotism…
Her answer can also reasonably be read as meaning: ‘The phrase was used in reference to our country by the Founding Fathers, it is not offensive to me, and I will work to keep it in the Pledge of Allegiance.’ The question focused on the controversial phrase ‘under God’. She answered asserting that ‘it was good enough for the Founding Fathers . . .’ And indeed it was. George Washington used the phrase ‘under God’ in reference to ‘this country’ when ordering that the just-passed Declaration of Independence be read aloud to the troops: The several brigades are to be drawn up this evening on their respective parades at six o’clock, when the Declaration of Congress, showing the grounds and reasons of this measure, is to be read with an audible voice. The General hopes that this important event will serve as a fresh incentive to every officer and soldier to act with fidelity and courage, as knowing that now the peace and safety of this country depends, under God, solely on the success of our arms. [italics added.] Benjamin Franklin (hardly an evangelical) also used the phrase ‘under God’ in reference to ‘our country’, along with others of the… Read more »