The first time I had to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, it was awkward. I was going to a sleepaway summer camp that was hours away. The grounds were beautiful, with green trees as far as I could see and with the sound of distant waterfalls crashing down. After the first night, we all woke up early and went to the flagpole where we recited the Pledge of Allegiance. I stood around looking at other campers and coaches as they held their hands over their hearts and recited it. I had no idea what the Pledge of Allegiance was and it was interesting to discover that everyone else knew it. It was a very simple and catchy poem, and, by the third day of camp, I had it memorized. But what was most interesting was how I first found out about the patriotic poem from a soccer camp—what did patriotism have to do with soccer? I’ve since learned the truth about this poem and how normalized it has become. While the Pledge of Allegiance may seem harmless, it is propaganda and some use it as a way to control and punish people. 

The Pledge of Allegiance was a poem written to sell magazines. According to the Smithsonian.com, 

Francis Bellamy reportedly wrote the Pledge of Allegiance in two hours, but it was the culmination of nearly two years of work at the Youth’s Companion, the country’s largest circulation magazine. In a marketing gimmick, the Companion offered U.S. flags to readers who sold subscriptions...the magazine planned to raise the Stars and Stripes “over every Public School from the Atlantic to the Pacific” and salute it with an oath.

I find it fitting that a short poem used to sell magazines and grab the attention of consumers is now a famous poem adopted by the U.S. and recited by many. The U.S. kept this ritual going because people who pledge their allegiance every day are less likely to question their government. The Smithsonian also said that, “Bellamy...went on to enjoy a lucrative career as a New York City advertising man, penning odes to Westinghouse and Allied Chemical and a book called Effective Magazine Advertising.” Citizens read it out loud without entirely knowing what they are saying. The poem tells them “One nation, under god,” which implies that the U.S was chosen by god himself. This poem sells Americans a false sense of superiority. 

For whatever reason, some people get extremely mad at others when others refuse to participate in patriotic rituals. In 2019, The Guardian reported that, “On February 4th an 11-year-old boy was arrested at Lawton Chiles Middle Academy in Lakeland, Florida for exercising his first amendment rights and refusing to recite the pledge of allegiance. After the boy had told her numerous times he wouldn't recite it because the flag and the country were racist, substitute teacher Anja Alvares called the police.” This teacher was an adult who handled this situation terribly and could have hurt a child for a long time. It’s confusing to me that she would get so angry over this that she would call the cops. Not reciting the pledge was not a justification for calling the police. She should know better than to recklessly call the police. It seems to me like she’s probably racist and was using the pledge of allegiance as an excuse to scare a Black child. As terrible as it was, it was also ironic. The U.S.A. is known as the land of the free, but makes people recite a poem that pledges your allegiance to it. A lot of times when I hear stories of athletes refusing to stand for the National Anthem, commentators at Fox News scream, “They are dishonoring the troops!” Whenever I hear this, I laugh a little because of how ironic it is. The soldiers, who these same people claim are fighting for freedom and human rights, are being used as an excuse to take our rights away.  

The US government altered the original pledge in an attempt to weaponize religion and pass it off as patriotism. According to the Smithsonian, “In 1954, as the cold war intensified, Congress added the words ‘under God’ to distinguish the United States from ‘godless Communism.’” The people who added this phrase wanted to use religion to turn Americans against the Soviet Union. The effect of kids repeating this everyday would make them feel entitled, like they were living in the best country in the world and that it was chosen by god. Subsequently, some have argued that the pledge violates the 1st Amendment. Smitsonian.com says, “One atheist, believing his kindergarten-aged daughter was coerced into proclaiming an expression of faith, protested all the way to the Supreme Court.” I understand being uncomfortable with watching your child be forced to say something that you don’t believe in. If you were a Christian and you were forced to watch your daughter say something nice about Satan, you might get frustrated too. 

When I was at the soccer summer camp reciting the pledge of allegiance, I didn't know what I was saying. I repeated those words over and over, mindlessly following along. Even after many years I can still recite the Pledge of Allegiance. What I wish I had known before memorizing it is that it is used to normalize religion, and while it doesn’t actually mention which religion we are swearing an oath to, it is implied that we are referring to a Chrisitan god due to this country’s overwhelmingly Christian population. The Pledge of Allegiance also has some violent enforcers who want to force kids to recite the words. While it may have been written to sell magazine subscriptions to a large audience, since then, it has been used to sell U.S. superiority. In a country that has spent all but 18 years of its existence at war, it comes as no surprise that it is constantly in search of ways to sell its superiority and spread patriotism.