What are the words of the Pledge?

The full text of the Pledge of Allegiance 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. Each phrase carries meaning. Pledge allegiance promises faithfulness, drawing on the medieval feudal language of fealty owed to a sovereign, but reoriented in republican form to the symbols of a self-governing people. The Flag of the United States of America is the visible emblem of the country, currently displaying thirteen stripes for the original states and fifty stars for the current states under the design adopted by President Dwight Eisenhower's executive order on August 21, 1959, after Hawaii's admission.

The Republic for which it stands references Article IV Section 4 of the Constitution, which guarantees to every State a Republican Form of Government, distinguishing the United States from a pure democracy and from a monarchy. One Nation expresses unity, a theme that took on particular weight after the Civil War. Under God was added by Congress on June 14, 1954, after a campaign during the Cold War to emphasize American spiritual heritage and to contrast with state atheism in the Soviet Union. Indivisible insists that the nation cannot be divided, repudiating the Confederate position that states could lawfully secede. Liberty and justice for all summarizes the founding ideals of the Declaration of Independence and the closing aspiration of the Constitution.

The Pledge was written by Francis Bellamy in 1892 for the magazine The Youth's Companion as part of the four hundredth anniversary celebration of Christopher Columbus's voyage. The original text used my Flag rather than the Flag of the United States of America and did not include under God. The current wording dates from 1954.

The Flag Code, 4 U.S.C. § 4, prescribes that the Pledge should be rendered by standing at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart, with members of the Armed Forces and veterans in uniform allowed to render the military salute. Civilians not in uniform should remove headdress and place the right hand over the heart. The Supreme Court ruled in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette (1943) that students cannot be compelled to recite the Pledge, and challenges to the under God phrase have generally failed. Naturalization candidates can practice the words to recite confidently at the oath ceremony.