Back to School: Origins of the Pledge

Children say it every day in school, but have you ever wondered why we recite the pledge of allegiance? We journey back to the late 1800s to understand how a massive wave of immigration and sagging magazine subscriptions gave rise to this vow of patriotism. From the Civil War to anti-immigrant nativism and Cold War politics, this one pledge tells many stories. 

Guests: 

Debbie Schaefer-Jacobs, curator for the history of education collection at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History

Marc Leepson, author of Flag: An American Biography