Pledge of Allegiance
ProCon.org. "Does the phrase 'under God' in the Pledge of Allegiance violate the First Amendment's Establishment Clause?" UnderGod.ProCon.org. ProCon.org, 13 May 2009. Web. 22 Mar. 2012.
"As an affirmation of citizenship, the pledge defines membership in the political community. As amended in 1954, the Pledge refers to particular belief, monothesim, that many people- not only but members of religions such as Buddism- do not share."
Law2.umkc.edu "Exploring Constitutional Conflicts." http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/estabinto.htm. Law2.umkc.edu, 6 Oct. 2001. Web. 15 Mar. 2012
"In 1948, the Court ruled 8 -1 in McCollum v Board of Education that the practice of inviting religious instructors into public schools to give optional religious instruction violates the Establishment Clause."
http://www.religioustolerance.org/nat_pled1.htm
"In 1953, the Roman Catholic men's group, the Knights of Columbus mounted a campaign to add the words "under God" to the Pledge. The nation was suffering through the height of the cold war, and the McCarthy communist witch hunt. "
Facts about the pledge of allegiance http://www.baylorfans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=201668&page=1
"In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower added the words "under God" after listening to a sermon by a Presbyterian minister."
West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette
"Is a decision by the Supreme Court of the United States that held that the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution protected students from being forced to salute the American flag and say the Pledge of Allegiance in school."
ProCon.org. "State Requirements on Pledge of Allegiance in Schools." UnderGod.ProCon.org. ProCon.org, 24 Oct. 2008. Web. 22 Mar. 2012.
"Students are expected to speak the phrase "under God" when reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. The consequences for omitting or amending this phrase are not legally determined and may vary depending upon the state or school board. According to an Aug. 2003 report by the Education Commission of the States, 43 states have laws regarding requirements for student recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in schools (as of Aug. 2003). (Seven states have no laws regarding requirements for the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in schools: Iowa, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Nebraska, Vermont, and Wyoming.)"
Facts about the pledge of allegiance http://www.baylorfans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=201668&page=1
"Students saluted the flag with their right hand, palm downward and extended forward until June 22, 1942, when Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance by including it in the U.S. Flag Code, and changed the salute to the hand over the heart because the it too closely resembled Nazi Germany's "Heil Hitler" salute."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/12/under-god-in-pledge-of-allegiance_n_496255.html
"A federal appeals court upheld the use of the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance and "In God We Trust" on U.S. currency, rejecting arguments that the phrases violate the separation of church and state."
http://undergod.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000074
"According to an Aug. 2003 report by the Education Commission of the States, 43 states have laws regarding requirements for student recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in schools (as of Aug. 2003). (Seven states have no laws regarding requirements for the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in schools: Iowa, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Nebraska, Vermont, and Wyoming.)"
The Establishment Clause
"The First Amendment's Establishment Clause prohibits the government from making any law "respecting an establishment of religion." This clause not only forbids the government from establishing an official religion, but also prohibits government actions that unduly favor one religion over another. It also prohibits the government from unduly preferring religion over non-religion, or non-religion over religion."
Minersville School District v. Gobitis
"The West Virginia Legislature amended its statutes to require all schools in the state to conduct courses of instruction in history, civics, and in the Constitutions of the United States and of the State "for the purpose of teaching, fostering and perpetuating the ideals, principles and spirit of Americanism, and increasing the knowledge of the organization and machinery of the government."
Newsweek poll
"Thinking about the issue of separation of church and state in this country today, in general, do you think the government should avoid promoting religion in any way, or not?" Should avoid: 36% Should not: 54% Don't know: 10%
ProCon.org. "US Flag Codes." UnderGod.ProCon.org. ProCon.org, 1 July 2008. Web. 22 Mar. 2012.
"US Flag Code Title 4, Chapter 1, Sec. 4 is where the US government presents the official text of the Pledge of Allegiance. It reads:" "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."
First Amendment Center and American Journalism Review poll
"When you say or hear the Pledge of Allegiance, which includes the phrase 'one nation under God,' do you think of that phrase as primarily a religious statement, or as primarily a statement related to the American political tradition?" Primarily a religious statement: 18% Primarily a statement related to the American political tradition: 73% Both (volunteered): 5% Neither (volunteered): 1% Don't know/refused to answer: 2%
http://www.religioustolerance.org/nat_pled1.htm
Between 1924 and 1954, the Pledge of Allegiance was worded: "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."
Topic
Freedom of Speech/ Freedom of Religion: First Amendment Rights
Narrowed Topic
Saying the pledge of allegiance using "under God" in American Public Schools
Issue
Students are being forced to say "under God" in reciting the pledge of allegiance, this is interfering with their Constitutional Rights, For example the 1st Amendement
Hypothesis
Students should not be forced to recite the pledge of allegiance using "under God", if they chose not to, that is infringing on the students First Amendment Rights.
Facts about the pledge of allegiance http://www.baylorfans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=201668&page=1
The pledge was changed in 1923 when it was feared immigrant children would not know which flag they were pledging allegiance to. The new pledge still did not contain the phrase "under God."