Do you know the Georgia pledge? - Commentary by Frank Gillispie

Do you know the Georgia pledge? – Commentary by Frank Gillispie

I was surprised to learn that even our state senator, Ralph Hudgens, was not aware that Georgia law prescribes a pledge of allegiance to the state flag. In fact, none of the people attending the Republican County Convention knew of the law.

This came up when they opened the convention with a young man singing the national anthem followed by a pledge of allegiance to the U.S. flag and an opening prayer.

Now most camps of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, including our camp in Colbert, always pledge to the U.S. flag and the Georgia flag. I never would have guessed that other than the SCV, no one in Georgia knew of the legally prescribed pledge. After all, it has been on the books since 1935. So for those of you who did not know, and that appears to be most of you, here are the state codes concerning the pledge:

Georgia Code Section 50-3-2.

The following is adopted as the pledge of allegiance to the state flag: “I pledge allegiance to the Georgia flag and to the principles for which it stands: Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation.”

Georgia Code Section 50-3-3.

"The state flag shall be displayed on appropriate occasions in the public and private schools of this state and in all patriotic meetings and the citizens of the state are requested to take the pledge of allegiance set out in Code Section 50-3-2."

Why is this important? The Code of Georgia still takes the position that the state is a sovereign entity. You can see this in the following section of the code:

Georgia Code Section 50-2-20.

"The sovereignty and jurisdiction of this state extends to all places within the limits of her boundaries except so far as she has voluntarily ceded her sovereignty and jurisdiction over particular localities to the United States or adjacent states."

This section continues to proclaim the original relationship between the state, other states and the federal government. It says that any ceding of sovereignty by the state is “voluntary.” Georgia is, according to its legal code, an independent, sovereign government. Georgia voluntarily grants some portion of its sovereign power to the national government and to adjacent states in order to better serve its population.

Georgia’s citizens are urged to proclaim their agreement to the state’s right to govern by flying and pledging allegiance to its flag. The instructions to fly the flag, and the encouragement of all Georgians to give the pledge to that flag, are intended to reinforce the idea that we are all specifically Georgians along with being Americans.

The State Flag of Georgia adopted in 1956.

The idea that we owe our allegiance to our home state, whether native or adopted, was one of the causes for which our Confederate ancestors fought. Georgians have the right and responsibility to support and defend our state from the encroachment of the federal government. One way we have of doing so is to proudly fly the state flag, regardless of which one you choose to fly, and to offer the pledge as prescribed by law at all appropriate times and places.

Georgia is a special place. Those of us lucky enough to live here should recognize her unique and special place in our history and culture. The pledge of allegiance to the state flag is one way of expressing that recognition.

Frankly Speaking by Frank Gillispie, this item was published with permission of the author. Published March, 2005 in the Madison County Journal - www.mainstreetnews.com. His website can be accessed at frankgillispie.tripod.com/gillispie/.