“To me, America is a combination of life and a combination of backgrounds that brings the best out of people. While there is division and extreme both ways right now, most of America, if put in a room, could get along past their differences and have a good time together,” Senior Aiden Kanazawa said in describing what being an American meant to him.

The American experience is a vast and complex mosaic of history and culture. Ingrained with many meanings, the pledge of allegiance stands as the ultimate proclamation of those ideas. The final line of the pledge, “For liberty and justice for all,” being an inspiring idea for many.

For students in the United States, every morning begins the same: rising from a chair, placing a hand over one’s heart, and gazing up at the stars and stripes of the American flag. A tradition steeped in centuries of history and generations of experiences.

American history teacher Tracy Culcasi has special context on the unique origins of the pledge and what it has represented throughout America’s past.

“The pledge started late 19th century. And if you think about it historically, it’s a time period after the Civil War, a time period with lots of immigrants. So there’s a sense of, we want to bring people together as Americans, of course, after World War Two, in the Cold War, they added the ‘under God’ to the pledge because we were very anti communist,” Culcasi said.

The idea of unity is key for many when regarding the pledge. It’s roots in bringing the country together still stand in modern day. For many it was the experience on Sept 11 2001 that brought this idea to the forefront.

Technical education teacher Mark Molinari was teaching at DGS on Sept 11, and sees it as a defining moment in his life.

“It was a very important day in my life, just from a standpoint of watching students see history happen at that moment. I just remember what the pledge meant after we experienced that, just the power, how the powerful message that it was to students after that day,” Molinari said.

Sept 11 had a special impact on the pledge within the state of Illinois.

“I feel like after 911 saying the pledge became a very big thing again, to show patriotism and support for our country. That’s when Illinois also added the moment of silence,” Culcasi said.

Ongoing events have a major impact on the purpose of the pledge. It’s words take new meaning with every passing day. Currently modern political actions by the Trump Administration have inspired differing opinions regarding the pledge of allegiance.

“I don’t think we should be pledging anything until everyone in our country has equal rights. That feels really strong today with ICE rampaging our streets and people being denied basic rights in detention centers,” Junior Elly Hanlon shared when asked about her personal reasons for or against standing for the pledge.

However, for others, such as Senior Aidan Kanazawa and Sophomore Zoe Swierczynski, the pledge of allegiance goes beyond the current political climate.

“I think a lot of people forget that in a lot of other countries, they don’t have freedoms like we do in America. And even though sometimes it can be not the greatest, the world always has problems. There’s always people that create those problems, but to just keep standing for what you think is right, and that’s all you can really do,” Swierczynski said.

Ties to service members in the armed forces also stand as a principal reason that individuals actively stand for the pledge.

“I stand for the pledge for same reason I stand for the national anthem. I come from a family of marines, its kinda my families thing. So to see how people fight for my freedom and die everyday, the least I can do is respect the flag,” Kanazawa said.

Oftentimes personal experiences create emotional ties to the pledge, more so than just standing for a flag.

“I went to a movie with my father that was very real life to him, and for me, it was just a movie. It shook me, how much it was hard for him to watch what he had done, and what people have gone through who have served,” Molinari said.

Ultimately, however the differing opinion surrounding the pledge of allegiance has caused less and less students to stand. While some of this behavior is rooted in protest action, there is also a sub-section of students who simply don’t want to bother.

“The pledge has also been used throughout history as a form of protest. So there may be some students who engage in that, but I think some students just don’t pay mind to it at all,” Culcasi said.

As the United States has continued to grow as a country, so have its customs. For many, the Pledge of Allegiance no longer holds the same value that it used to. Those personal reasons attached to new mentalities reveal a larger story surrounding the American mindset as a whole.

“Most people don’t stand for it because they just think it’s a waste of time, or it’s not that big of a deal, or they prioritize their political views. And for me, it’s not really about the political views. It’s about, honoring everyone who fought for your freedom to stand for that flag,” Swierczynski said.

No matter what though, the pledge of allegiance is a cornerstone of American morals. While differing personal opinion may separate the student body, the pursuit of equality remains a common thread.

“I don’t think I should be pledging for liberty and justice for all when not everybody in our country has liberty and justice. I’ll pledge when everybody is represented in the same way and they have the same rights,” Hanlon said.

The word American comes with many meanings. Personal connections with the national identity are unique to the individual. Whether one stand’s or not for the pledge, it’s historical meaning is undeniable.

“I know that the flag has a lot of symbolic meaning for for Americans, and so I think it’s important that students, learn about it and learn the pledge and understand what it’s what the words mean and why we say it. That way they can understand the history of the meaning behind it,” Culasi said.