The Case Against the Pledge

In 1940 the Supreme Court of the United States made a historic decision: that all schoolchildren should stand during the Pledge of Allegiance. Minersville School District v. Gobitis set precedent for three years. Walter Gobitas, a Jehovah's Witness, did not want his children saluting the flag. In this bonus episode we discuss the Gobitas case and questions surrounding patriotism and religion. Our guest this episode is Professor Charles Dorn of Bowdoin College. His books are Patriotic Education in a Global Age and For the Common Good: A New History of Higher Education in America.