Students saluting the American flag in a classroom in 1957. The Pledge of Allegiance is a solemn vow of loyalty and support for the country. "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." The Pledge of Allegiance first appeared in 1892 in a children's magazine. The phrase under God, added in 1954, has inspired heated debate over the separation of church and state. Swearing of the Pledge is accompanied by a salute. An early version of the salute, adopted in 1892, was known as the Bellamy salute. It started with the hand outstretched toward the flag, palm down, and ended with the palm up. Because of the similarity between the Bellamy salute and the Nazi salute, developed later, the United States Congress instituted the hand-over-the-heart gesture as the salute to be rendered by civilians during the Pledge of Allegiance and the national anthem in the United Sta