On this day in 1892, the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States was used in public schools for the first time, part of nationwide ceremonies marking the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus.

Seeking to foster unity after the Civil War, President Benjamin Harrison encouraged schools to include an oath of loyalty in flag-raising observances. The text that took root was written by Baptist minister Francis Bellamy, a cousin of novelist Edward Bellamy, and first appeared in the September 1892 issue of Youth’s Companion, a popular family magazine.

In 1940, amid debate about compulsory participation, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that students in Minersville, Pennsylvania, could be expelled for refusing to salute the flag. “National unity is the basis of national security,” wrote Justice Felix Frankfurter, calling the flag a symbol that transcends internal differences.

In 1954, seeking a stronger national identity, Congress added the words “under God” to the pledge, encouraged by the Knights of Columbus. President Dwight Eisenhower said, “From this day forward, the millions of our school children will daily proclaim the dedication of our nation and our people to the Almighty.”

Through the years, the Pledge has been a daily ritual and a source of inspiration to millions, even as conversation continues about those two words. Its familiar promise remains:

“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.”