"2. RAISING OF THE FLAG-- by the Veterans
"As the Flag reaches the top of the staff, the Veterans will lead the assemblage in 'Three Cheers for "Old Glory." '"3. SALUTE TO THE FLAG-- by the Pupils
"At a signal from the Principal the pupils, in ordered ranks, hands to the side, face the Flag. Another signal is given; every pupil gives the flag the military salute-- right hand lifted, palm downward, to a line with the forehead and close to it. Standing thus, all repeat together, slowly, 'I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands; one Nation indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.' At the words, 'to my Flag,' the right hand is extended gracefully, palm upward, toward the Flag, and remains in this gesture till the end of the affirmation; whereupon all hands immediately drop to the side. Then, still standing, as the instruments strike a chord, all will sing AMERICA-- 'My Country, 'tis of Thee.'"4. ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF GOD-- Prayer or Scripture
"5. SONG OF COLUMBUS DAY-- by Pupils and Audience . . .
"Dear Country, the star of the valiant and free!
Thy exiles afar are dreaming of thee.
No fields of the Earth so enchantingly shine,
No air breathes such incense, such music as thine. . . ."6. THE ADDRESS
" 'The Meaning of the Four Centuries' A Declamation of the Special Address prepared for the occasion by The Youth's Companion."7. THE ODE
" 'Columbia's Banner,' A Reading of the Poem written for the Occasion by Edna Dean Proctor.
"Here should follow whatever additional Exercises, Patriotic Recitations, Historic Representations, or Chorals may be desired."8. ADDRESSES BY CITIZENS, and National Songs."
Of course, the current version of the pledge is slightly different from above and 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."[vii]
Nationalism, militarism, religion, exceptionalism, and a ritual oath of loyalty to a piece of cloth: this is quite a mix. Imposing this on children has got to be among the worst ways to prepare them to oppose fascism. Once you've pledged your allegiance to a flag, what are you to do when someone waves that flag and screams that evil foreigners need to be killed or deported? Rare is the U.S. government whistleblower or war veteran peace activist who won't tell you how much time they spent trying to deprogram themselves of all the patriotism that was put into them as children.
Some people who visit the United States from other countries are shocked to see children standing, using the modified salute of hand-on-heart, and robotically reciting a loyalty oath to a "nation under God". It seems that the modification of hand position has not succeeded, after all, in preventing them looking like Nazis. [viii]
The Nazi salute has not simply been abandoned in Germany; it has been banned. While Nazi flags and chants can occasionally be found at racist rallies in the United States, they are forbidden in Germany, where neo-Nazis sometimes wave the flag of the Confederate States of America as a legal means of making the same point.
NOTES:
[i] Erin Blakemore, Smithsonian Magazine, "The Rules About How to Address the U.S. Flag Came About Because No One Wanted to Look Like a Nazi," August 12, 2016, click here
[ii] Jessie Guy-Ryan, Atlas Obscura, "How the Nazi Salute Became the World's Most Offensive Gesture: Hitler invented German roots for the greeting-- but its history was already filled with fraud," March 12, 2016, click here
[iii] Hitler's Table Talk: 1941-1944 (New York: Enigma Books, 2000), Click Here page 179
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
1
