Standing For the Pledge Ever since kindergarten, students have been taught to stand and recite the American Pledge of Allegiance. But what if that’s not fair? Schools never told kids they had a choice to stand or sit. They never said anything about freedom of speech, or expressing your thoughts and exercising your rights.
In some school districts, a parent’s signature is required to be able to sit for the pledge. I find that ridiculous. Each person has their own rights, no matter their age. A student doesn't need a parent to speak for them, they have a voice too, and it can be very powerful if they use it correctly. When students are in their classrooms, the teachers will often ask everybody to stand when the pledge is being recited. If someone chooses to sit, they will most likely be refused this privilege. The teacher would ask them again to stand up, and make sure they stay that way. In some cases, if you want to sit you have to bring a signed note from your parents that gives you permission. A parent isn't you, and they can’t speak for you. In 1892, the American Pledge of Allegiance was created to celebrate the 400th year anniversary of Columbus discovering America. In 1942, the pledge was recognized by the American government, and became official. The words "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." were the original pledge. After that, “under God” was added, and lots of negative feedback was received from angry Americans. Because not all Americans believe in God, it was considered unfair to have this as a part of the pledge. Even now, I don’t think this part of the pledge should even be included. I know that someone could choose to not recite this part of the pledge, but it is not needed. About 89% of Americans believe in God. Even though that is the majority, what about the other eleven percent? They want to express themselves too, so let them. Personally, there are some things I don't want to support, like rape, racism, sexism, and people being kicked out of their home. I don't want to pledge to people who don’t support DACA. or people who are racist and sexist. I basically don’t want to pledge to Trump. And I really don’t want to be forced to. Overall, freedom of speech is still a big issue, and need to be solved as soon as possible. Each person in every population is an individual, and has their own rights. They have their own thoughts, and their own ways of expressing them. Each student in every school has their own opinion, and even though standing or sitting seems like a simple thing, it can show a lot about them, and if they don't want to support certain things, they don't have to.
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