Every morning before instruction began, Mrs. Sebastian’s class stood together and faced the American flag.

They placed their hands over their hearts and recited the Pledge of Allegiance.

After the pledge, Adrianna raised her hand. “Mrs. Sebastian, why do we do this every day and what do all those words really mean?”

“That is a wonderful question, Adrianna. The Pledge of Allegiance, written by Francis Bellamy in 1892, is like a promise. To help us better understand their meaning, we can relate each important word in the pledge to a period in our country's history.” Mrs. Sebastian replied.

“The pledge begins with 'I pledge allegiance to the flag, of the United States of America,'” Mrs. Sebastian said.

“Our flag reminds us of the Revolutionary War, when the colonies fought to become their own country. They wanted to be free from England and not ruled by a king.”

"The flag is a representation of the country they created. When we pledge allegiance to it, we are promising to be true to that flag, our democracy, the military that keeps us strong and defends us, and all the citizens of the United States of America." Mrs. Sebastian explained.

“Next, we say, 'and to the republic for which it stands.' A republic is a country where people choose leaders to represent them. The type of government we have is called a democracy where people get a say in who our leaders are and what laws we live by." Mrs. Sebastian explained.

“After the Revolutionary War, our leaders wrote the Constitution,” Mrs. Sebastian explained. “The Constitution is a document that helped create rules to protect people’s freedoms and keep the government fair,” she continued. "There have been amendments, or changes, to this document over the years, but the Constitution still protects the people of our country and guides our laws and government."

“What does the next line 'one nation, indivisible' mean?” asked Cordell.

“It means that although we are many states, we are one country that stands together,” said Mrs. Sebastian. "Staying united as one country is important because we need all of us to stay strong economically, meaning the products we grow, build, and trade, and militarily, including the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard," she explained.

“During the Civil War, the United States was divided,” she continued. “The Union fought to end slavery and keep all the states together as one nation. Although a difficult time in our history, we are stronger now as one nation, united.

“In 1954 the words 'under God' were added to the pledge,” Mrs. Sebastian said. “Although specific to only some religions, these words can remind us that our country was built on religious freedom.” 

"In fact, many people, like the Pilgrims, came here specifically for that reason."

“Religious freedom is protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution and means that people are free to practice their own religion, or no religion, without being treated unfairly,” she explained.