When the flag is displayed, all should face it and give the appropriate salute. The pledge of allegiance to the flag was first published in 1892 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's voyage to North America, in Boston, Massachusetts. James Bailey Upham, the editor of The Youth's Companion , and his associate, Francis Bellamy, created the original words of the flag tribute and school children from around the country were asked to join in a special salute to the flag. In 1939 the United States Flag Association ruled that Bellamy was the author of the original pledge. In pledging allegiance to the flag, stand with the right hand over the heart or at attention.
Men remove their hats.
Persons in uniform give the military salute. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. John Paul Jones probably hoists this flag in 1775 as the Navy ensign when Commodore Esek Hopkins assumes command of the new Navy. The basis of the design is uncertain. Never officially adopted, the flag is replaced by the emblem described in the Continental Congress resolution of June 14, 1777.