The Pledge_ A History of the Pledge of Allegiance - Jeffrey Owen Jones [0]
ALSO BY PETER MEYER
The Yale Murder
Death of Innocence
Dark Obsession
THE PLEDGE
A HISTORY OF THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Jeffrey Owen Jones
and Peter Meyer
THOMAS DUNNE BOOKS
ST. MARTIN’S PRESS
NEW YORK
THOMAS DUNNE BOOKS.
An imprint of St. Martin’s Press.
THE PLEDGE. Copyright © 2010 by Jeffrey Owen Jones and Peter Meyer. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.thomasdunnebooks.com
www.stmartins.com
ISBN 978-0-312-35002-4
First Edition: October 2010
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
TO JEFFREY OWEN JONES,
WHO LOVED A GOOD STORY
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
1. AN AMERICAN RITUAL
2. THE ERA OF THE PLEDGE
3. HOW IT HAPPENED
4. THE REVEREND FRANCIS BELLAMY
5. A NATIONAL CELEBRATION
6. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE: THE FABRIC OF LIFE
7. WHO WROTE IT?
8. THE COURTS AND THE CONSTITUTION
9. A VICTORY FOR JEHOVAH
10. POLITICAL BATTLES
11. UNDER GOD
12. THE ROLE OF THE PLEDGE TODAY
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
While I am, and always will be, saddened that Jeff did not live to finish this book, I feel honored to have played a role in its completion and know Jeff would have been proud of it.
I would like to thank The Smithsonian for publishing Jeff’s article on the Pledge of Allegiance.
Many thanks to the University of Rochester Library in whose archives reside the papers of Francis Bellamy.
To John Ware, who understood, coached, and supported—many, many thanks.
To Thomas Dunne and Peter Joseph of St. Martin’s Press, I thank you for picking up the reins and continuing the project. I thank you doubly for your wisdom in hiring Peter Meyer. Thanks to Peter Meyer for taking up the reins and riding (or writing) to the finish line.
I owe a debt of gratitude to Christopher and Hilda Jones. Your love and support kept this project afloat.
My thanks to Peter Richardson and Steve Atlas, who, by example, define friendship and loyalty.
My deepest personal thanks go to our Pittsford team of angels: Dr. Dave Trawick and Dr. Becky Monk, Dr. Steve Ignaczak and Dr. Judy Kramer, Dr. Steve Meyers and Dr. Barbara Weber, Dr. Margaret Donahue, and Dr. Victor and Mrs. Susan Regenbogen, Dr. T. Scott Campbell, Dr. Timothy Quill and Dr. Aaron Olden. By surrounding us with your expertise, empathy, and humanity, you kept our spirits high.
Thank you to Denise DeWyn for keeping the office under control.
And thank you to our son, Eli Owen Jones, for lighting up our lives.
—ELLEN JONES
My thanks must start with Thomas Dunne, who invited me to get involved with this project; as a student of history, I jumped at the opportunity to learn about the Pledge of Allegiance, but I had no idea the subject was so rich. Of crucial help in my research were colleagues and friends Donald Christensen, Lynn Sloneker, Jacques Menasche, and Catherine Coreno—without their hugely generous and professional assistance this book would not have been possible. Also crucial to the telling of any story about the Pledge of Allegiance were the staff of the Department of Rare Books, Special Collections and Preservation at the Rush Rhees Library at the University of Rochester, where a treasure of historical documents are available (see the Bibliography); my special thanks to Rosemary Switzer and Melissa Mead at Rush Rhees. And I also reserve a special debt of gratitude to Ellen Jones, who showed so much grace and kindness in helping me gather up the files of her late husband, the author of this book. I am sorry I never met Jeffrey Owen Jones, but when I heard that he was the “Mr. Jones” in the song of my favorite poet Bob Dylan, I knew I would have liked him. And I only hope I have done some justice to Jeffrey’s superbly easy and inviting writing style in finishing a project to which he devoted much personal and professional love and attention. Finally, my great thanks to Peter Joseph, an editor of immense talent and patience. And, needless to say but needful of saying, a special thanks to my wife, Janet, and