U.S. Pledge of Allegiance Recognized – Anniversary

Dec 28, 1945. The US Congress officially recognized the Pledgeof Allegiance and urged its frequent recitation in Americas schools. The pledge was composed in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister. At thetime, Bellamy was chairman of a committee of state school superintendentsof education, and several public schools adopted his pledge as part of the Columbus Day quadricentennial celebration that year. In 1954 the Knights of Columbus persuaded Congress to add the words under God to the pledge. In 2002 a federal appeals court found the pledge unconstitutional for use in public schools due to the under God phrase, but the Supreme Court reversed the case for procedural reasons and did not comment on the issue of constitutionality.