CONGRESS GIVES OFFICIAL SANCTION TO 'THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE'
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On December 28, 1945, the Congress of the United States gave official sanction to "The Pledge of Allegiance" to the Flag.
The legislation, introduced earlier in the year by Rep. Herman P. Eberharter (D-Pennsylvania) amends the law adopted on June 22, 1942 by which the Pledge was formally included in the U.S. Code.
The Pledge of Allegiance was composed by Francis Bellamy*, a Christian socialist, and first used in Columbus Day celebrations of 1892.
*Francis Julius Bellamy (1855-1931) was born in Mount Morris, New York & educated at the University of Rochester. He became a Baptist minister influenced by the 2nd Great Awakening. As a Christian socialist he championed rights of working people & supported equal distribution of wealth.
SOURCE
"Congress Gives Official Sanction To 'The Pledge of Allegiance,'" JFK+50, December 28, 2011, www.jfk50.blogspot.com/
