Historic town dismisses the Pledge of Allegiance

It seems that virtually every week that goes by, there is an attack on our national patriotism in one way or another.

In the historic town of Winchester, Virginia, (not far from Harpers Ferry, West Virginia) the town council has decided the Pledge of Allegiance is not needed for their regular meetings.

The Daily Caller writes, “A Virginian public commission voted on Feb. 17 not to recite the Pledge of Allegiance before its business meetings, according to The Winchester Star.”

They add, “Commissioner Leesa Mayfield, who opposed the measure to add it, said she had nothing against the Pledge of Allegiance but thought the move was unnecessary. ‘The Pledge of Allegiance has an importance, of course,’ Mayfield said, according to the outlet. ‘But the need to recite it at the beginning of every city meeting in a performative way seems unnecessary.'”

Winchester’s website notes many of the remarkable events in history that took place there. For example, in 1748, when he was 16 years old, George Washington came there as a land surveyor. In 1758, he cut his political teeth as a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses.

The George Washington Mount Vernon website writes, “For a decade, from 1748 until 1758, George Washington spent more nights in Winchester than any other place besides his home.”

Furthermore, Washington’s lifelong friend, Dr. James Craik, who was there when the father of our country died, was from Winchester.

The Constitution certainly does not mandate patriotism per se. The Pledge of Allegiance was created more than a century after our governing document was. But it is symbolic of Americans’ loyalty to the nation.

In 1892, our country still honored and celebrated Christopher Columbus’ historic discovery of this continent. The Italian voyager was held to be a great hero.

To honor the memory of Columbus’ voyage, the Pledge of Allegiance was written by a Baptist minister, Francis Bellamy (1856-1931) of Boston. Rev. Bellamy wrote the Pledge in 1892 for school children across the nation to recite as the American flag was raised during the 400th anniversary celebrations. (Now, like so many things in our history, Columbus – a great sailor, but poor governor – has been completely vilified.)

Initially, the Pledge of Allegiance did not include the words “under God.” History.com explains how the reference to Deity was added in the 1950s by President Eisenhower: “The push to add ‘under God’ to the pledge gained momentum during the second Red Scare, a period when U.S. politicians were keen to assert the moral superiority of U.S. capitalism over Soviet communism, which many conservatives regarded as ‘godless.'”

When he signed this bill, Eisenhower remarked: “FROM THIS DAY FORWARD, the millions of our school children will daily proclaim in every city and town, every village and rural school house, the dedication of our nation and our people to the Almighty. To anyone who truly loves America, nothing could be more inspiring than to contemplate this rededication of our youth, on each school morning, to our country’s true meaning.” [Emphasis his.]

The American Presidency Project notes that a year later, in 1955, President Eisenhower also observed: “Without God, there could be no American form of Government, nor an American way of life. Recognition of the Supreme Being is the first – the most basic – expression of Americanism. Thus the founding fathers of America saw it, and thus with God’s help, it will continue to be.”

I’ve heard modern critics chafe at the idea of the “Red Scare,” but history has proven that the threat of communism (built on atheism) was most menacing. Harvard University Press published “The Black Book of Communism”(1999), chronicling the unspeakable crimes of the communists in the 20th century alone. The book notes that they killed at least 100 million people.

In contrast, the founders of America believed in the importance of God, the source of our rights. For example, when the First Congress under the Constitution requested George Washington to declare a national Day of Thanksgiving to show gratitude to God for our freedom to create our own government in peace, he complied.

Thus, on Oct. 3, 1789, the father of our country proclaimed: “It is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor.”

The battle over the Pledge of Allegiance is like the battle over symbols. We celebrate America at 250 because of the Declaration of Independence, which I like to summarize in four words: self-rule under God.

Saying the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of various functions, including places with a rich American history, seems like a small step to take to honor the source of freedoms.