Pledge of Allegiance history: from the 1892 Bellamy text to 4 U.S.C. § 4

Word changes in 1923, 1924, and 1954

Over the next six decades, the Pledge of Allegiance evolved from a schoolhouse custom into a federal statute through three distinct textual revisions:

1. The 1923 National Flag Conference change (“the Flag of the United States”)

For thirty years after 1892, speakers pledged allegiance to “my Flag.” Following World War I and a period of high immigration, civic groups led by The American Legion convened the First National Flag Conference in Washington, D.C., on Flag Day, June 14, 1923. Delegates expressed concern that newly arrived immigrants or foreign-born residents reciting “my Flag” might silently have the banner of their native homeland in mind rather than the Stars and Stripes. The conference voted to replace “my Flag” with “the Flag of the United States.”

2. The 1924 refinement (“of America”)

When the Second National Flag Conference reconvened a year later on June 14, 1924, delegates refined the opening clause once more by adding the words “of America” after “United States.” The 29-word version (“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”) became standard across American schools and civic halls.

3. The 1942 codification and the 1954 addition of “under God”

Congress first enacted the Pledge of Allegiance into federal law on June 22, 1942, as part of the U.S. Flag Code (Public Law 77-623). Twelve years later, during the height of the Cold War, lawmakers sought to distinguish the spiritual heritage of the American republic from the state-enforced materialism and atheism of the Soviet Union.

The Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal organization, was one of the first major groups to call for adding “under God” and began petitioning the federal government in 1952. In February 1954, Pastor George M. Docherty preached at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., a sermon that greatly influenced President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Eisenhower championed the legislation, and Congress passed a joint resolution (Public Law 83-396), which the President signed into law on Flag Day, June 14, 1954. That final revision produced the 31-word text codified today in 4 U.S.C. § 4:

“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.”

How to stand and salute during the Pledge (4 U.S.C. § 4)

Section 4 of Title 4 of the United States Code outlines the official wording of the Pledge and the proper manner of delivery for civilians, service members, and veterans.

From the 1892 Bellamy salute to the hand over the heart

When the Pledge debuted in 1892, the published program instructed students to perform what became known as the Bellamy salute: speakers began with their right hand in a military salute at the forehead, and upon speaking the words “to my Flag,” extended their right arm straight outward toward the flag with the palm turned upward.

By the late 1930s, the rise of fascist regimes in Italy and Nazi Germany created acute discomfort in the United States because the outstretched-arm Bellamy salute closely resembled the fascist and Hitler salutes in photographs. To eliminate any visual confusion during World War II, Congress passed Public Law 77-829 on December 22, 1942, replacing the outstretched arm with the simple gesture of placing the right hand over the heart from start to finish.

Current conduct rules under 4 U.S.C. § 4

Today, federal flag customs under 4 U.S.C. § 4 recommend the following posture when the Pledge of Allegiance is recited:

• Civilians not in uniform: Stand at attention facing the flag with the right hand placed flat over the heart.
• Headwear etiquette: Men not in uniform should remove any non-religious headdress (such as a baseball cap or hat) with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, so that the right hand rests over the heart. Women and anyone wearing religious headgear are not expected to remove their head coverings.
• Military personnel in uniform: Remain silent, face the flag at attention, and render the formal military hand salute throughout the recitation.
• Veterans and out-of-uniform service members: Following an amendment enacted in the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (Public Law 113-66), members of the Armed Forces not in uniform and military veterans may choose either to place their right hand over their heart or to render the military salute.

For additional rules covering parades, wall displays, and national holidays, consult our practical walkthrough of flag etiquette and our guide to the Star-Spangled Banner.

The 1943 Barnette ruling: why no one can be compelled

A foundational principle of American constitutional law is that patriotism and allegiance must be voluntary. During the lead-up to World War II, several states and local school boards passed mandatory flag-salute rules that expelled students who declined to salute the flag or recite the Pledge.

The issue reached the United States Supreme Court twice in three years in cases brought by Jehovah’s Witnesses, whose religious convictions forbade bowing to or saluting secular symbols based on the biblical commandment against graven images:

1. Minersville School District v. Gobitis (1940): In an 8-1 decision written by Justice Felix Frankfurter during the fall of France in World War II, the Supreme Court initially upheld mandatory school flag salutes as a permissible tool for promoting national cohesion. Tragically, the ruling was followed by a wave of harassment and expulsions of Jehovah’s Witness schoolchildren across the country.
2. West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette (1943): Just three years later, in the middle of World War II, the Supreme Court reconsidered the constitutional question. On June 14, 1943—Flag Day—the Court voted 6-3 to overturn Gobitis and struck down compulsory flag salutes and Pledge recitations in public schools.

Writing for the majority in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, Justice Robert H. Jackson penned one of the most celebrated passages in First Amendment jurisprudence:

“If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein.”

The Barnette decision established that the First Amendment protects not only the right to speak freely, but also the right to refrain from speaking what the government commands. Under federal law and Supreme Court precedent, neither public schools nor government agencies may compel any student or citizen to stand, salute, or recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

Honoring the Pledge in everyday American life

Because the U.S. Constitution protects individual conscience against state coercion, choosing to stand with a hand over the heart and recite the Pledge of Allegiance carries genuine civic meaning. Whether spoken before a town council meeting, at a morning school assembly, or during a community ceremony on Veterans Day, the thirty-one words of the Pledge affirm our shared commitment to a constitutional republic.

Readers who appreciate the heritage of the founding charters and early American traditions can explore our We the People collection and our Faith and Freedom apparel, designed for everyday wear and patriotic holidays.