The Pledge Revisited

Melanie Kirkpatrick reviews The Pledge in today’s Wall Street Journal (page A17).  The book is by Jeffrey Owen Jones and Peter Meyer and looks like a fun historical tour of the Pledge of Allegiance, taking us from its 1892 Columbus Day origins to today’s relatively secure place in our schools.  The Pledge expanded from 22 words to the current 31, was challenged unsuccessfully by Mennonites, successfully by Jehovah’s Witnesses, lost its raised-arm salute to Hitler, and withstood a Supreme Court challenge as recent as 2004.  If you haven’t heard Mako Nakagawa’s story about how and where she learned the Pledge of Allegiance, stop by the Legal Line archives and take a listen.  It’ll make you think.  We’ll add The Pledge to the Recommended Reading List.