Description: This first in-depth study of the Pledge of Allegience reveals much about our nation's civil religion. From its earliest version in 1892 to the inclusion of "Under God" in 1954 and the recent lawsuit that controversial phrase inspired, Ellis exposes how the Pledge, initially designed to patch together a nation still recovering from Civil War, and later to "Americanize" waves of immigrants, is the mark of an insecure nation rather than a confident one.
Brief description: Richard J. Ellis is the Mark O. Hatfield Professor of Politics at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. His previous books include Democratic Delusions: The Initiative Process in America, The Dark Side of the Left: Illiberal Egalitarianism in America, and Presidential Lightning Rods: The Politics of Blame Avoidance.
Review Quotes:
"An insightful, informative account of politics, patriotism, and--yes--paranoia. Indispensable background reading for civics classes."--Booklist
"A thoughtful, thorough history of America's most revered patriotic mantra. . . . Ellis reveals it to be the ultimate American paradox: a poem intended to unite the people instead has shown us to be a nation sharply divided over our own self-image. Recommended as a timely purchase."--Library Journal
"A lively study."--Chronicle of Higher Education
"Engaging and important."--Multidiversity
"An important, commendable addition. Lucidly and without jargon, Ellis comprehensively analyzes a century of debates about the pledge and their import."--Political Science Quarterly
"Engrossing and edifying. . . . This book offers a highly readable account of a complex and important aspect of our ever-so-mysterious political culture."--Against the Current
"Ellis carries the history of the pledge forward to contemporary times, including the still-evolving political interactions that revolve around this--and related--potent national symbols."--Bloomsbury Review