I Will Never Say the Pledge of Alliegance Again
Lesson Plans | Lesson of the Day: 'We Know the Pledge. Its Author, Maybe Not.'
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/05/learning/lesson-plans/lesson-of-the-day-we-know-the-pledge-its-author-maybe-not.html
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Lesson of the Day: 'We Know the Pledge. Its Author, Maybe Not.'
In this lesson, students will learn about how a 13-year-old might have been the real author of the Pledge of Allegiance. Then they will decide: Should students regularly recite the pledge in school?
Lesson Overview
Featured Article: "We Know the Pledge. Its Author, Maybe Not." by Sam Roberts
More than a century after a Baptist minister from upstate New York took credit for writing the Pledge of Allegiance, new evidence suggests the possibility of a very different story — that a 13-year-old schoolboy in Kansas might actually have been the author.
In this lesson, you will read about the history of the Pledge of Allegiance, and then consider whether students should be required to recite it in school.
Warm-Up
The Pledge of Allegiance now reads:
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Have you ever said the Pledge of Allegiance? And if so, do you have it memorized? What do you think is the purpose of reciting the pledge?
Do you think it's important for all Americans — especially schoolchildren — to know and recite it regularly? Why or why not?
Questions for Writing and Discussion
Read the article, then answer the following questions:
1. How did the authorship of the Pledge of Allegiance come into doubt this year? What evidence seems to contradict the accepted history of the oath's origins?
2. According to the Baptist minister Francis Bellamy, why did he write the pledge in 1892? According to Frank E. Bellamy, why did he write the pledge at the age of 13 in 1890?
3. Would knowing definitively who wrote the pledge make a difference in how you feel about it? Does the history matter?
4. How has the wording of the pledge — and the way it is recited — changed since it was first written? Why was it changed?
5. What is your reaction to this article? Do you think the discovery will change how the history of the pledge is written and remembered?
Going Further
Almost all states require that students in public schools regularly recite the pledge, although the Supreme Court has ruled that students must be allowed to opt out of it.
What do you think: Should students in the United States recite the Pledge of Allegiance every school day? Why or why not? Do you think learning and reciting the pledge instills patriotism in young people? Does it foster loyalty to the nation, along with a commitment to the core values of liberty and justice for all? Or are daily recitations just routines devoid of meaning? Or, worse, does requiring that students recite the pledge violate individual freedom?
These questions aren't just academic. In Texas, Mari Oliver claimed that in 2017, when she was a senior in high school, she was harassed for opting out of reciting the pledge. In response, she filed a lawsuit against four teachers, a school administrator and her school district, and last week her lawyers announced a settlement under which she will receive $90,000, paid by the Texas Association of School Boards.
The article "Texas Student Who Protested Pledge of Allegiance Gets $90,000 in Settlement" explains why Ms. Oliver refused to recite the pledge:
Ms. Oliver objected to the pledge because she did not believe that the United States guarantees "liberty and justice for all," especially for people of color, according to the statement. She also did not agree with the words "under God." The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1943 that students have a First Amendment right to opt out of saluting the flag or pledging allegiance.
Read the entire article, and then discuss — or respond in writing — your reaction to it. Why do you feel that way? Has it made you rethink your answer to the question above about whether students should be required to recite the pledge?
Want more Lessons of the Day? You can find them all here.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/05/learning/lesson-plans/lesson-of-the-day-we-know-the-pledge-its-author-maybe-not.html
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