The cultural and political history of the Pledge of Allegiance, how it came to be, what it means to Americans, and why we have battled over it for generations
For more than a century, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance has been a central part of the American Experience. And perhaps because of its ubiquity, this simple flag salute has served not only as a unifying ritual but also as a lightning rod for bitter controversy.
Congress's 1954 decision to add "under God" to the Pledge has made it the focus of three U.S. Supreme Court cases and at least one other landmark appellate decision. The debate continues today, but along with it exists a widely held admiration and support for this simple affirmation of our shared patriotism.
As Jeffrey Owen Jones and Peter Meyer show in their illuminating history, this brief salute to the flag has had an almost magical power to galvanize people's deepest feelings and beliefs about who we are and ought to be as a nation. In that sense, the story of the Pledge of Allegiance is the story of America and the American people.

The Pledge: A History of the Pledge of Allegiance

History

MEYER, Peter

Jones, Jeffrey Owen

Americas

Thomas Dunne Books

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Jones, Jeffrey Owen. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Jones, Jeffrey Owen

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Jones, Jeffrey Owen. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Pledge: A History of the Pledge of Allegiance