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The Pledge: A History of the Pledge of Allegiance
Formore thana century, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance has been a central part of the American Experience. And perhaps because of its ubiquity, this simple flag salute has served not only as a unifying ritual but also as a lightning rod for bitter controversy.
Congress’s 1954 decision to add “under God” to the Pledge has made it the focus of three U.S. Supreme Court cases...more
Congress’s 1954 decision to add “under God” to the Pledge has made it the focus of three U.S. Supreme Court cases...more
Hardcover, 224 pages
Published
October 12th 2010
by Thomas Dunne Books
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For many Americans, the Pledge of Allegiance is the quintessential childhood reflex. It is the ritual that began each school day, simultaneously unthinking and sacred, like all liturgies. Most schoolchildren stand up and place hand over heart without a second thought. Surely the Pledge is an indisputable Ur-text scratched out on the back of some Founding Father’s dinner napkin. Or more likely, the pious architects of democracy found it in their Bibles, right after the part where Jesus denounces...more
We've all said it, time after time. It was one of the first things we memorized, but do we know the history of the Pledge of Allegiance? This book fills that gap nicely, and puts our current patriotic emphasis in perspective. The underlying theme of the book is that if our Flag stands for freedom, where is the line between freedom and obedience. The book does not answer that question, and remains quite neutral, but does make you ask a few uncomfortable questions of yourself. Whether you are a co...more
I admit, I've never though about who wrote the Pledge of Allegiance or why they did, so when I walked by this book at the library I decided to check it out.
It's pretty short. It's interesting in some parts and boring in others. But I learned a lot and that was my intention.
It's pretty short. It's interesting in some parts and boring in others. But I learned a lot and that was my intention.
The Pledge of Allegiance has been misunderstood and misappropriated throughout its illustrious history. In this concise and engaging volume, scholarship combined with common sense tells us what The Pledge's authors intended and what those few, powerful words really mean.
The book itself was highly informative and intriguing but there were times when I wondered whether or not what Jones was talking about was needed. Sometimes it seemed a little out of context. The writing style itself was fairly decent. Jones has skill but not nearly as good as he could be. The lack of footnotes was frustrating because I couldn't, easily, go and double check a source. In a nutshell, it was fairly well written, highly informative, but lacked footnotes and creativity.
This is a wonderful book that tells a wonderful story. Who new that an advertising campaign would lead to a pledge of allegiance to America that is repeated by every school child (and newly arrived citizen) in the country.
I knew a bit about pledge history when I started this book. I know quite a bit more now. I was a pledge-hater when I started this book. I'm still a pledge-hater now.
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