Moyal,Noam

Per.3
12-5-16

Should Students Be Forced to Recite the Pledge of Allegiance?

Should students be forced to stand up and recite the Pledge of Allegiance? Some schools

agree and some disagree. There were many court cases about this issue and online debates where

people express their thoughts and opinions. Some people say it goes against their religion and

some dont agree with what the Pledge is saying. The Pledge of Allegiance was originally

written in August 1892 by the socialist minister Francis Bellamy. In 1954, only 62 years ago,

president Dwight D. Eisenhower's urged the congress to have the phrase under God added to

the Pledge. Because the Pledge is saying wrong things about our country, violates the First

Amendment, and there is a law saying you have the right not to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, I

think students should not be forced to say the Pledge.

The first reason why students should not be forced to say the Pledge in class is because

the Pledge represents our country poorly and is saying wrong things about our nation. In the

Pledge of Allegiance the fourth line is indivisible meaning America cant be divided or

separated. But of course our country is divided. We are divided by millions of different things

such as Republicans and Democrats. We once had a civil war splitting our nation (Debate). Not

too long ago we were even separated by our race and skin color. The last line of the Pledge of

Allegiance is with Liberty and Justice for all. This line is not true because our country still

discriminates against gay marriage. America also discriminates against race, gender, and religion.

Another reason why students should not say the Pledge of Allegiance is because the

phrase one nation under God, violates the First Amendment and offends some people. The

First Amendment makes it illegal to make a law that establishes a religion, stops the freedom of
speech, and stops people from practicing their religion. You cant expect every person from every

country to pray to God in the Pledge. It goes against their religion. Because of that it violates the

First Amendment. In 2006, in the Florida court case Frazier v. Alexandre, a district court ruling

declared a state law requiring students to stand and recite the pledge (ACLU). This violates the

First and Fourteenth Amendments. Also, the words under God offend some people. Many

people are atheists meaning they dont believe in the existence of God or gods. So, the phrase

under God offends them (Debate).

The last reason why students shouldn't be forced to recite the Pledge in class is because

legally, no one is required to. In 1943 the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling assuring students

they do not have to recite or participate in the Pledge. After 9/11, schools began requiring daily

recitation of the Pledge to honor the people who risked their lives. Later Wis. Metropolitan

School District adopted a disclaimer pointing out that America is a free country and students do

not have to stand or participate in the Pledge (Freedom and Foundation). Also, America is a free

and democratic nation. It is wrong to force someone to speak or do something they dont want to

do.

Other people may believe that students should be forced to say the Pledge of Allegiance.

The first reason being you would be honoring people that risked their lives for us. The second

reason being you would be respectful to our country (Debate). Those people are wrong because

there is more negative and wrong thoughts being presented in the Pledge than good and true

thoughts. The wrong and negative thoughts include the phrase indivisible which is not true

about our country because we are divided and separated by many things, and how the words

under God offend people. Yes, it is important to honor the people that risk their lives for us and

keep us safe, but we shouldn't have to honor them in a way that isnt comfortable for us.
Wouldnt the army appreciate it more if people donate money and participate in fundraisers than

recite the Pledge of Allegiance which the soldiers don't even hear us saying? I believe that

students should not be forced to recite the Pledge and should have a chance to choose if they

want to participate or not.

Given the information above, do you think students should be forced to recite the Pledge

in class? Because the Pledge of Allegiance goes against the First Amendment and offends some

people, students should have the choice to participate or not participate in the recitation of the

Pledge. Instead of saying the Pledge students can stand quietly and be respectful but they should

not have to recite the Pledge of Allegiance if they dont want to.
 Works Cited

www.quora.com/Why-dont-some-people-perform-the-Pledge-of-Allegiance-Why-

was-the-Pledge-of-Allegiance-ever-enacted.

"Pledge of Allegiance - Freedom From Religion Foundation." Freedom From

Religion Foundation - Freedom From Religion Foundation,

ffrf.org/faq/feeds/item/14030-pledge-of-allegiance.

"Should Students Be Forced to Stand Up and Say the Pledge of Allegiance? |

Debate.org." The Premier Online Debate Website | Debate.org,

www.debate.org/opinions/should-students-be-forced-to-stand-up-and-say-the-pledge-of-

allegiance.
"In Landmark Florida Case, ACLU Preserves Right of Students Not to Recite

Pledge." American Civil Liberties Union, www.aclu.org/news/landmark-florida-case-

aclu-preserves-right-students-not-recite-pledge.