Indivisible

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands -  one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

This is the way I learned to say the Pledge of Allegiance and I really prefer this version.

“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America”

Our children say this every school day, although they cannot be compelled to. Many of us say it regularly for one reason or another, in club meetings or patriotic ceremonies, sometimes as part of our jobs. Do we really bear allegiance to a piece of fabric? No, our allegiance is really to “the republic for which it stands,” the United States of America. The flag is merely a symbol of our republic. Nothing we can do to the flag will destroy the country. It is our standard and in battle and in diplomatic situations a great deal of importance is bestowed on being able to see the colors flying high and free and treated with respect. If those colors, that flag, is not in evidence it means we are not in control, but the country continues to exist.

“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands…”

It is the republic for which we will die and live. We will stand together against common enemies and foreign foes. We work together for a better life, a better life for us all; better health, better opportunities, better jobs, better roads, better beaches and parks, better values. The values of the United States should be constantly improving.

“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands; one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all.”

I love the simplicity and purity of this sentence. “One nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all” captures the essence of what our country stands for. “One nation, indivisible,” meaning we stand together as one nation accepting of our diversity and of change. “Indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” That is what we will fight for and die for and live for.

When the pledge was first written by Francis Bellamy for the opening ceremony of the Columbian Exposition in 1892 we were a long way from achieving “liberty and justice for all” but it was implied, even then, when the definition of “all” was still incomplete. We have come a long way and we have a bit further to go yet.

In 1954 when the words “under God” were inserted it created the possibility of a small threat to the word, “indivisible.” ‘Under God’ seemed to say that non-believers no longer had a place in our nation, a right to the liberties and justices we had been promising. For this reason, even though I had barely learned to repeat it from memory, I still prefer to say it and hear it without ‘under God’.

The sentence originally read: “I pledge allegiance to my flag, and the Republic for which it stands – one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” Bellamy soon added a ‘to’ before the Republic. In 1923 the words ‘my flag’ was changed to ‘the flag of the United States’ at the urging of the Daughters of the American Revolution, so immigrant children would be clear about which flag they were saluting. The next year “of America” was added and in 1954 ‘under God.’ These two words have been challenged many times since they were added.

Of all the words strung together in 1892, “indivisible” is the strongest and the most important one to remember at this time.  We are one nation, indivisible, in spite of differences of opinion, of spirit and of physical attributes. We are diverse and stronger for our diversities, but divisible we are not.