By Romy Carver
“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.”
Many of us grew up reciting this as children before we had any idea what it meant. Pledging allegiance to anything should not be done lightly. It entails a serious commitment to undying loyalty. (When Russia or China forces kids to do that, we call it indoctrination, but that’s a whole other conversation.)
The pledge is about loyalty to our flag and country, but that does not mean we condone bad behaviors on the part of our government or elected officials. In fact, it is a commitment to hold them accountable to a high standard of ethics worthy of our loyalty.
“And to the Republic, for which it (the flag) stands.” A republic is a form of government with no kings or rulers, where the people are in charge, and officials must obey the Constitution and rule of law. It comes from the Latin term, “res publica,” which translates to “public affair.”
Some folks misunderstand this and believe that we can’t be both a republic and a democracy, but we are. We have a representative democracy, which means that we the people elect officials to represent us through free and fair elections, rather than each person voting on each issue. So when we talk about upholding democracy, this is in support of the republic. When we pledge allegiance, it is to a democratically elected republic, by the people, of the people, and for the people. Democracy.
“One nation, under God” means that we stand united. However, “under God” was not part of the original pledge which was written by Francis Bellamy in 1892. Bellamy was a Baptist minister, but did not mention God in the pledge. The founders of the U.S. were determined to have separation of church and state and freedom of (and from) religion is protected by the first Amendment of the Constitution. So it’s likely that Bellamy was honoring that.
The phrase “under God: was added in 1954 by President Eisenhower, during the cold war, and was based largely on fear of Russia and Communism, rather than any particular religious devotion. It flies in the face of Founding Fathers’ intentions for separation of church and state. At the same time, “in God we trust” was added to U.S. currency.
“Indivisible, with liberty and justice for all” is a clear nod to us standing together as
“one nation,” and to human rights. It says “for ALL.” If you believe in and recite that pledge, you are agreeing that ALL people in the country deserve liberty and justice. That includes people who are immigrants, who aren’t white, who don’t have legal papers, who are LGBTQ, who aren’t Christian, who speak other languages, who disagree with you politically. ALL.
That is why Indivisible Tillamook Coast Action is nonpartisan and patriotic. We have members of all political parties involved in our effort to defend civic institutions, uphold the Republic, and defend democracy. We believe that patriotism involves more than flag waving. It’s hard work that involves hard conversations. It means being informed about what YOUR government and YOUR elected officials are doing and realizing that it affects YOU and those you care about. It means taking a long, hard look in the mirror and asking ourselves if we want to be a theocracy (religious-run government) like Iran that forces a particular religion on its people. Or like China, with detention camps for anyone who dares to speak out about the government. Or like Russia, with a dictator whose opponents die suspicious deaths. It is up to us.
“Indivisible” doesn’t mean that we all agree all the time. It means that we pledge to work together to be our collective best, and to maintain that liberty and justice for all. I could say that Republicans like to focus on the republic and governmental structure, while Democrats focus on democracy and justice. While that’s obviously an oversimplification, it’s an illustration that we need both. Our governmental structure needs to support democracy, and we must work together to achieve and maintain it.
At this 250-year mark, a lot of people feel we have nothing to celebrate. They are disheartened by the current administration’s reckless disregard for the Constitution and rule of law, the relentless human rights abuses, and the systematic dismantling of the checks and balances that keep us all safe and healthy. I agree that these are nothing to celebrate.
However, if you dive into America’s history, you will see that it is a tapestry of stories and woven with the struggles and tragedies are glimmers of hope, determination, and courage.
I see it at our Indivisible rallies, where hundreds of people across the political spectrum have gathered locally to protest the current regime and to declare their allegiance to the ideals in that original pledge of allegiance. We are supported across the planet.
Freedoms aren’t handed to us; they are hard won, and I hope that on this Fourth of July, we can all agree that they must be preserved. We will prevail against fascism, if we are truly indivisible, and that’s something to celebrate.
If you oppose the current regime and want to join Indivisible Tillamook Coast Action in defending the Constitution and the democratic Republic, feel free to find us on Facebook or reach out to itcalead@gmail.com.
