Back to School: Origins of the Pledge
- Author
- Smithsonian Institution
- Published
- Wed 20 Aug 2025
- Episode Link
- https://play.prx.org/listen?ge=prx_69_63991d2a-146c-4c43-8b5f-a00e7d43cacf&uf=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.si.edu%2FSmithsonianSidedoor
Children say it every day in school, but have you ever wondered why we recite the pledge of allegiance? We journey back to the late 1800s to understand how a massive wave of immigration and sagging magazine subscriptions gave rise to this vow of patriotism. From the Civil War to anti-immigrant nativism and Cold War politics, this one pledge tells many stories.
Guests:
Debbie Schaefer-Jacobs, curator for the history of education collection at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History
Marc Leepson, author of Flag: An American Biography
