The American Pledge of Allegiance is much more interesting than you might think. Give us 12 minutes and we'll fill you in.
In this episode, Josh and Chuck dive into the surprisingly commercial origins of the Pledge of Allegiance, revealing that it was actually created as a marketing tool for a magazine called The Youth Companion back in 1892. They explore how Francis Bellamy, a Christian socialist, penned the pledge as part of a patriotic program for schools celebrating Columbus's voyage, and trace how it evolved over decades—from the original "my flag" to adding "under God" in 1954 as a Cold War move against communism. Along the way, they cover the quirky Bellamy salute (which unfortunately resembled a Nazi salute), how different states made reciting it mandatory, and the Supreme Court case that finally made it optional for students to participate.
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