Everybody Pledge Now

Children say it every day in school, but have you ever wondered why we recite the pledge of allegiance? We journey back to the late 1800s to understand how a massive wave of immigration and sagging magazine subscriptions gave rise to this vow of patriotism. From the Civil War to anti-immigrant nativism and Cold War politics, this one pledge tells many stories.

Transcript

Guests:

• Debbie Schaefer-Jacobs, curator for the history of education collection at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History
• Marc Leepson, author of Flag: An American Biography

Smithsonian Links:

• Explore the Pledge of Allegiance through objects in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History collections. You can also learn about the evolution of the American flag and the promotion of National Flag Day through objects in the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum collections.
• The schoolroom staple didn't originally include "under God," even though it was created by an ordained minister. Read how the separation of church and state in the Pledge of Allegiance continues to be debated today in the Smithsonian Magazine.