Did you ever stop to think what you were saying when you and your elementary school classmates or your Rotary club recited the pledge of allegiance?  My problems started with the first line.  First, since we said it  as a group, why does it begin with I and instead of we?  And what is this allegiance thing?  I vaguely recall from movies about ancient heroes who served their liege Lord (the mortal one, not God) and owed him some highly specific duties and he in turn would offer them protection, employment and some of the necessities of life. According to Wikipedia, allegiance  is “the formal or deep obligation of fidelity owed by a citizen to a state, a vassal to a lord, or a person to a belief.”  Pretty complicated idea for the average second grader!

But why don’t we just pledge our allegiance, or loyalty,  to the country rather than sticking the flag in there! Don’t get me wrong. It’s a lovely flag with a great history from Betsy Ross to the Star Spangled Banner and beyond.  That pledge didn’t’ seem remotely related to the flag, or the country for which it stands.  I’m pretty sure my liege lord, if I had one, would have wanted me to pledge it to him directly and not to a flag. In any case, it’s a pretty dated idea for a democracy where we owe our loyalty to one another collectively, We are a nation of people that are all tied together.

l have several other quarrels with this mandatory exercise for our school children.  I would have objected in 1954 when it was slid into the text, but I was just 13 and not paying close attention.  I did and do believe in God , but I also believe in the first amendment. And the God I believe in may be very different from yours. One nation, indivisible?  Hardly a factual description, more like an aspiration.  Likewise, the noble but not yet achieved aspiration of   liberty and justice for all.

So what should we be saying? I believe that we have a covenant with each other like the Mayflower Compact among the pilgrims (who, unlike the puritans, were big fans of religious democracy). Or the oath that officeholders from president all the way down to city councils take when they assume a public office.  Which leads me to my suggested alternative.

Our national covenant is in our Constitution. And it begins with a covenant, about why and how we are together as a people, a nation That covenant is the Preamble A few small adjustments to put it in the present tense would make it a fine replacement for the Pledge of Allegiance.

Here is the original Preamble:”We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

And here is my slightly edited version:

“We citizens of the United States, in order to be and become a more perfect union, ensure justice, encourage domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and maintain the blessings of liberty  for ourselves and our posterity, do pledge our allegiance to the Constitution for the United States of America.”

I would be happy to approve and promote that version anytime, anywhere.  How about you?

Editorial suggestions are encouraged.

Holley Ulbrich November 2, 2026