September 9, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 143 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Page H7550]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     COMMEMORATING FRANCIS BELLAMY

  (Mr. COLLINS of New York asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. COLLINS of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate 
Francis Bellamy, one of the most influential individuals from Mount 
Morris, New York.
  Francis Bellamy is the author of the Pledge of Allegiance. Yesterday 
marked the 127th anniversary of the Pledge of Allegiance, which was 
first published in a magazine called The Youth Companion on September 
8, 1892.
  The pledge was initially written as part of a campaign to put 
American flags in every school in the country. In its original form, it 
read:
  ``I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it 
stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.''
  In 1923, the words ``the flag of the United States of America'' were 
added. And in 1954, Congress added the words, ``under God'' creating 
the 31-word pledge we say today.
  Bellamy's words are recited millions of times every day and are 
engrained in our society as an expression of national pride and 
patriotism.

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