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As we fire up the grills, gather for fireworks, and celebrate America’s Independence Day, it’s the perfect time to look past the picnics and remember what the Fourth of July is truly about.
If you’ve never heard comedian Red Skelton’s famous 1969 monologue on the Pledge of Allegiance, you are missing out on one of the most powerful reminders of what our flag stands for.
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🇺🇸 “Old Glory” and the True Meaning of the Pledge:
A Fourth of July Reflection
Skelton recalled a teacher from his childhood, Mr. Laswell, who noticed the students had grown bored of repeating the Pledge every morning. To bring meaning back to the words, the teacher broke them down one by one:
- I — Me, an individual, a committee of one.
- Pledge — Dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without self-pity.
- Allegiance — My love and my devotion.
- To the Flag — Our standard, Old Glory, a symbol of freedom. Wherever she waves, there is respect because your loyalty has given her a dignity that shouts “freedom is everybody’s job.”
- Of the United — That means that we have all come together.
- States — Individual communities that have united into forty-eight great states (fifty now!). Forty-eight individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose, all divided with imaginary boundaries, yet common to a purpose, and that’s love for country.
- Of America
- And to the Republic — A state in which sovereign power is invested in representatives chosen by the people to govern. And government is the people, and it’s from the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people.
- For which it stands
- One Nation — Meaning, “blessed nation.”
- Indivisible — Incapable of being divided.
- With Liberty — Which is freedom, the right of power to live one’s own life as led by the conscience, the desire to do what is right, to make a decision without fear of retaliation.
- And Justice — The principle or quality of dealing fairly with others.
- For All — Which means, boys and girls, it’s as much your country as it is mine.
Skelton concluded his monologue with a line that still rings incredibly loud today:
“Since I was a small boy, two words have been added to the Pledge of Allegiance: ‘Under God.’ Wouldn’t it be a pity if someone said that is a prayer and that would be eliminated from our schools too?”
This Fourth of July, let’s not just say the words. Let’s remember the unity, liberty, and shared responsibility they demand of us.
Happy Fourth of July, everyone! May freedom always ring. 🎆🔴⚪🔵
Stay Safe and Have Fun this Fourth of July, under God. Amen!
Yesterday is today’s memory.
Be sure to capture your memory today!
All the best,.
Debra Ellen
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