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Article: Author of original pledge left out mention of God, United States.
- Article from:
- The Orlando Sentinel (Orlando, FL)
- Article date:
- October 19, 2003
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 The Orlando Sentinel. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Kate Santich
ORLANDO, Fla. _ So you think you know your Pledge of Allegiance? You think because you held your hand over your heart for 12 years of public school, launching each day with its recitation, that it was always a tribute to one nation under God?
Not so fast.
The man who wrote the pledge in the late 1800s _ a Baptist preacher turned socialist turned advertising executive _ never made any reference to God, Buddha, Vishnu, Zeus or any other deity. For that matter, he never even mentioned the United States of America.
Historians and even relatives of the pledge's author, the late Francis Bellamy, say he would turn over in ...