The US Pledge of Allegiance

The Pledge of Allegiance was first written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy. At that time it read "I Pledge Allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands; one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." The Pledge officially became part of the US Flag Code in 1942. In 1954 the words "under God" were added to the Pledge by Congress with approval from President Dwight Eisenhower. The Pledge of Allegiance is a multi-faceted issue of weather kids need to recite it in school or not. The main issue is whether the words "under God" should be in the US Pledge of Allegiance. Some people strongly agree that it should be taken out. A 2001 lawsuit contested the inclusion of the phrase "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance, citing a violation of church-state separation principles. The argument keeping the Pledge of Allegiance is that the US was created from Christian principles of the Founding Fathers and this pledge should respect this countries heritage. It teaches the kids of the pride and patriotism of this country. Another argument for "under God" is that others say the US Constitution protects freedom of religion and not freedom from religion. The Department of Justice believes strongly on these issues and they continue to defend the ability for the school children to pledge allegiance to the flag. It’s an expression of national identity and patriotism.
Arguments against the Pledge of Allegiance are that the state and church should be kept separate as our Founding Fathers intended. Another argument against this pledge is that the phrase "under God" in the Pledge places "undue coercion" on young children, thus violating the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.
I believe that the Pledge of Allegiance should be kept the way it is. I don't believe that it oppressed or brainwashed kids by them saying "under God". It’s part of the countries heritage and I think it’s a good thing. However with the increase in diversity and religious views, this will continue to be an issue for the school children and what they are taught concerning religious issues.

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