Anya Gorovits || OPINIONS EDITOR

“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.” 

We’ve all had this one sentence memorized since the age of five. From the moment we enter kindergarten to our last day as seniors, we start our school days by standing with our hands on our hearts, swearing loyalty to our flag and nation. 

Growing up in the Andover Public School system, I’ve always wondered why this short passage has been drilled into our minds on a daily basis. 

Junior Ariana Teasdale, who stands for the Pledge but doesn’t recite it, said, “It feels cult-like to pledge allegiance every morning.”  

As a country founded on democracy, freedom, and natural loyalty, why do we have this slightly dystopian tradition imposed upon the youngest Americans?

Upon examining the Pledge’s content alone, it seems positive, asking America’s children to promise to uphold values of “liberty and justice” and to honor their country. It’s understandable for a nation to hope for such fidelity and to encourage such values among its citizens. However, our nation doesn’t seem to be living up to its own principles.

“The Pledge is an ideal goal we haven’t met,” said AHS physical science teacher Ralph Bledsoe.

Yet in the context of current events, I struggle to see our Pledge as a goal that our government is focusing on. Our leaders should be role models for our children, exemplars of the “liberty and justice for all” we swear allegiance to each morning. Yet for many, it doesn’t feel that way. 

“There are just so many aspects of the Pledge of Allegiance around liberty that are being undermined right now,” said Teasdale. The current Trump Administration has taken countless actions to limit the “liberty and justice” of its constituents rather than uphold it. Since taking office, the administration has deported thousands without due process, eliminated federal DEI programs, weakened civil rights and housing acts, minimized the Department of Education, terminated refugee programs, withheld university funding over First Amendment disputes, restricted abortion services, and threatened law firms taking on cases that conflict with federal actions. Most of these actions, opposed by millions through protests and polls, aim directly at diminishing the freedoms and legal entitlements of chosen groups within America.

“The issue that remains at hand at the moment is that, currently, the administration does

not seek to uphold the rights and liberties of ourselves, but in actuality, they seek for us to uphold theirs,” said junior Rohit Perugupalli. 

As I approach adulthood, I find it difficult to make promises of “liberty and justice” to a country that I know cannot promise the same to myself or those around me. I recently attended a local convention in which I was surprised to see the attendees—all adults—stand and recite the Pledge without being legally obligated to do so. Following this recitation they spoke of how to maintain our country’s true values, how to improve the lives of Americans, and how to protect our rights. This, to me, seems like the correct use of the Pledge of Allegiance. “Liberty and justice” are strong goals for the U.S., but the Pledge is a goal only if these morals are being worked towards. 

As French author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry once said, “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” Unfortunately, a wish will not achieve “liberty and justice” in the United States. 

“The Pledge is trying to [foster] some national unity,” said Bledsoe. “I think that it’s worthwhile to at least try to have that aspiration still there.” In the modern, extremely divided political climate, the tradition may feel like a last hope for patriotism. Bledsoe added that, without the pledge, there will be little left to keep the American people together. Yet I don’t think the Pledge succeeds in instilling national unity. Because it has been ingrained in our minds since before we could read, the Pledge has become less of a thoughtful oath and more of an ordinary aspect of our morning routines: no different from brushing your teeth or walking to the bus stop. Most students choose whether or not to say it based on peer pressure and energy levels, not on national pride. “We recite it to the point where it is engraved within our skull, and yet we don’t really know what its words mean,” said AHS freshman Isaac Wilfond.

“I think we should teach these ideals,” said AHS history teacher Kathryn Reusch. She added that, ideally, the Pledge should be taken out of school and replaced with thoughtful discussions. “If we were to do the Pledge at all in school, I would prefer it be done later in schooling, when [students] can make a more thoughtful choice about saying it,” she said.

In regard to students who don’t say the Pledge, Teasdale said, “If you are recognizing that our country has to fix [certain issues] before you can pledge yourself to it, then I think that’s more of a pursuit of liberty and justice than potentially saying the pledge itself.” 

Though Massachusetts students are not obligated to say the pledge, the law does obligate that time is put aside for it every day. 

Hearing these words each morning for 13 consecutive years feels like inculcation, whether we say the words out loud or not.

 Additionally, a mandated Pledge blurs the lines between true patriotism and compelled loyalty. Patriotism should stem from true pride in a country’s actions, not from an idealistic sentence. “Patriotism shouldn’t come through like a forced sense of nationalism. It should come through a sense of brotherhood, a sense of this is who we are,” added Wilfond.

Written 133 years ago, perhaps the Pledge of Allegiance has become outdated. This tradition, so ingrained in our lives, would be difficult to abolish. Yet altering its content could make way for a more accurate representation of America, and what “We The People” want our country to strive for.