I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
The Original Pledge of Allegiance
Francis Bellamy, 1892
As July 4th drew near, real estate agents began their annual advertising campaign by placing small American flags (along with their business cards) on every neighbor's front lawn. Despite my conversation with the agent who initiated this trend on our street two years ago, a flag appeared by our driveway Friday afternoon. However, this year my "flag skirmishes" with industrious real estate agents seem less important than they did in the past.
In the post-9/11, post-Presidential election, and present Iraqi War era, Independence Day has become more than just a day for parades, fireworks, and patriotic ardor. In the last few years it's a reminder of how divided a country we really are. Restating this as optimistically as I can, it's become a day to remember the huge range of thought that defines our American psyche.
With Sandra Day O'Conner's resignation from the Supreme Court, on this Independence Day this divide is overt and full of angst. Both sides of the political spectrum, liberal to conservative, and each with their resident subgroups, gather their forces, forge alliances, and devise strategies to maintain their vision of One Nation Indivisible.
On this July 4th I wanted to investigate the origin and meaning of one of the most ubiquitous of American patriotic emblems, The Pledge of Allegiance. And I wanted to see how germane its words were at this point in our history.
