An American Baptist minister, Francis Bellamy (1855-1931), wrote the pledge in August of 1892. The original pledge read: “I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”. The pledge was first published in 1892 in the September editions of “Youth’s Companion Magazine” and “Reader’s Digest”.
Under the leadership of the American Legion and the Daughters of the American Revolution, the pledge’s words were changed slightly in 1924, when the National flag Conference decided to replace “my flag” with “to the flag of the United States of America”.
After a campaign fronted by the Knights of Columbus, the words, “under God” were added by Congress in 1954.