I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America…
My schoolmates and I were required to repeat this phrase at the beginning every school day. If a student refused to rise and say the Pledge of Allegiance he or she was punished, usually with detention. I remember one day, when I was in fifth grade, the only Jewish boy in my class refused to stand for the pledge. The teacher walked over to him and said, “You have to stand and say the pledge.” When the young man refused, she pulled him out of his chair by the arm and forced him to stand and say the pledge as he choked back tears.
And to the republic for which it stands…
Chairman Mao made a similar pledge mandatory for his group of Young Pioneers which stated, ”I am a Young Pioneer. I pledge under the Young Pioneer flag that I am determined to follow the guidance of the Chinese Communist Party, to study hard, work hard and be ready to devote all my strength to the Communist cause.”
From a young age it is drilled in our heads that we must speak this pledge of our lives to the nation. Shouldn’t children have the liberty to make their own choices in their pursuit of happiness?