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**Demonstrate the ability to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, to explain its general meaning, and to sing national songs such as America the Beautiful, My Country, 'tis of Thee, God Bless America, and The Star Spangled Banner and explain the general meaning of the lyrics.**


 * Songs and Topics on the Page **
 * Pledge of Allegiance **
 * Star Spangled Banner **
 * My Country, 'Tis of Thee **
 * America the Beautiful **
 * God Bless America **
 * ** This Land Is Your Land **
 * ** Lift Every Voice and Sing **

**The Pledge of Allegiance** // 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. // Click here to listen to the pledge.

** What does the pledge mean? **
The Pledge of Allegiance is viewed as a promise to respect the United States. Citizens do this by respecting the flag, a symbol of the United States. By promising to respect the "Republic, for which it stands", they are promising to be kind, giving, and fair. The United States is considered "indivisible" because everyone is joined together and cannot be separated. Everyone also is free and treated fairly.

** [[image:Screen Shot 2016-03-25 at 12.47.12 PM.png]]The phrase "under God" is the source of debate and legal decisions. **


The [|original Pledge of Allegiance] was written by [|Francis Bellamy], a Baptist minister and socialist in 1892. It did not contain the phrase "under God." He hoped to revive patriotism by having schoolchildren recite a daily pledge to flag and country.
 * Adopted by Congress in 1942
 * The phrase "under God" was added in 1954 at the height of the anti-communist Red Scare.
 * In Engle v. Vitale (1962) the Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional a voluntary prayer recitation at the start of the school day.
 * For more, see [|5 Facts about the Pledge of Allegiance] from the Pew Research Center (September 4, 2013).

**Voluntary Participation**

 * The Supreme Court ruled in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette (1943) that students could not be compelled to recite the pledge.
 * In the West Virginia v. Barnette case, the Court stated "compulsory unification of opinion" is antithetical to first amendment values.
 * =====Based on this case law, as it stands today, students who refuse to stand for the Flag Salute or the National Anthem to make a political statement or act out of some discernible religious belief are exercising rights of free expression.=====
 * Students Not Required to Participate in the Pledge of Allegiance, ACLU Oregon
 * For more on the decision including teaching ideas, see [|The Supreme Court on the Pledge] from Rethinking Schools.

The Star Spangled Banner
// Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light // // What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming? // // Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight, // // O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming? // // And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, // // Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. // // Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave // // O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? // Click here to listen

Exploring and Learning the National Anthem with Primary Sources, Library of Congress

This song was written during a fight. The writer saw the flag waving above the fight, even through all the bombing. This symbolizes that no matter what happens, the flag and America will always survive to protect freedom and the people who protect America.
 * What does this mean? **

Star-Spangled Banner: The Unlikely Story of America's National Anthem. Marc Ferris. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2014
 * 9 Things You May Not Know about the Star Spangled Banner**
 * Written by Francis Scott Key in 1814 who was NOT a prisoner on a British ship at the time of the bombardment of Fort McHenry in Baltimore harbor
 * Executive Order by President Wilson in 1916 declared it the national anthem
 * Congress passed a law making the song the national anthem in 1931
 * Performed at a sports event for the first during the 7th inning of the 1918 World Series between Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs
 * It was performed as a publicity-driven idea during a time when the United States was in World War I and drew such a positive response from fans that both teams performed it throughout the series.
 * Link to How the Nations Anthem--and Subverting It--Became a Pregame Tradition in America. The Washington Post (September 24, 2017)

Tackling Paid Patriotism: A Joint Oversight Report by U.S. Sens John McCain & Jeff Flake, 2015
 * The Pentagon Paid Lucrative Sports Franchises Millions to Honor Troops, //The Washington Post// (November 4, 2015)
 * Since 2012, the Pentagon paid millions on marketing and advertising contracts with most of the professional sports leagues, including the National Football League, Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League, the National Basketball Association and Major League Soccer.



**Standing for the National Anthem**
NFL Players Didn't Stand For The National Anthem till 2009

Arian Foster Clearly Explains NFL Players Motivation for Protesting the National Anthem, SB Nation, September 12, 2016

Worcester High School Football Players Will Not Be Disciplined for Knelling During Anthem, Boston Globe, September 13, 2016

Miami Dolphins Team Statement about Player Participation in National Anthem

They Didn't # Take the Knee: The Black Power Protest Salute That Shook the World in 1968. The Washington Post (September 24, 2017)


 * [[image:Screen Shot 2017-03-19 at 11.31.41 AM.png link="@https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/the-first-amendment-and-restricting-professional-athlete-protests"]]The First Amendment and Restricting Professional Athlete Protests**


 * My Country, 'tis of Thee **

// My country,' tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing; // // land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrims' pride, from every mountainside let freedom ring! //

// My Country, Tis of Thee, a primary source by Samuel F. Smith //

Click here to listen
 * For additional lyrics, click here.

The singer is proud of his country, the United States. To show his pride, he is going to sing about America. His ancestors died in the war to create the US. The Pilgrims were one of the first groups of people to travel from Europe to America to create a new society, a land that they were proud of. Everyone in America is free.
 * What does this mean? **

// O beautiful for spacious skies, // // For amber waves of grain, // // For purple mountain majesties // // Above the fruited plain! // // America! America! // // God shed his grace on thee // // And crown thy good with brotherhood // // From sea to shining sea! // Click here to listen to the song. For additional lyrics, click here.
 * America the Beautiful **

America the Beautiful was written by [|Katharine Lee Bates] who was born in Falmouth, Massachusetts in 1859.

Click here for [|an essay Katharine Lee Bates wrote in 1925] describing her inspiration for the song.

**What does this mean?** This song is showing thanks for all parts of America. The singer loves the mountains, the plains, the skies, and everything that grows in America. Everyone who lives in America is united and treats each other like family, no matter where they live.

// God bless America, // // Land that I love, // // Stand beside her and guide her // // Through the night with a light from above; //
 * God Bless America **

// From the mountains, to the prairies, // // To the oceans white with foam, // // God bless America, // // My home, sweet home. // // God bless America, // // My home, sweet home. // Click here to listen **What does this mean?** This song asks that the United States be protected against any evil or bad thing. The song asks that every part of America be protected. America is a home for everyone in it.



This Land Is Your Land
[|Woody Guthrie (1946) Sings This Land is Your Land] on YouTube.

[|Arlo Guthrie Sings This Land is Your Land] on YouTube.

[|Bruce Springsteen (1985) Sings This Land is Your Land] on YouTube.

[|Pete Seeger (2009) Sings This Land is Your Land]on YouTube.



Lift Every Voice and Sing
Lift Every Voice and Sing by James Weldon Johnson, Black Culture Connection, PBS


 * [[image:Multimedia.png link="@https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QU8921j20e8"]]Link to Ray Charles performing Lift Every Voice and Sing on the Dick Caveat Show (September 18, 1972)**


 * [[image:Screen Shot 2017-03-18 at 11.16.22 AM.png link="@http://civilrightssongs.blogspot.com"]]Civil Rights Songs Blog**