Since preschool, we have stood up once a day in the morning, put our hands over our hearts and recited the Pledge of Allegiance. We were taught to be respectful during this time and expected to participate without question. We are no longer those oblivious elementary-aged students, and we cannot continue to blindly do as told without question. Though it is a hot topic with protests from current athletes such as Collin Kaepernick, controversy over the Pledge as well as the National Anthem has always existed. Famous baseball pioneer Jackie Robinson spoke out about this controversy in the ‘70s in his autobiography, “I Never Had it Made.” Robinson stated: “I cannot stand and sing the anthem. I cannot salute the flag. I know that I am a black man in a white world.” Still, many people have difficulty understanding this show of protest, and have a hard time grasping the necessity. Here’s why many feel the need to protest the pledge and/or National Anthem.

1. “One Nation Under God” infringes upon the first amendment.

7.1% of the American population are either atheist or agnostic. This line was added in 1954, and has been controversial ever since. This line violates religious freedom

2. “Justice for All” is untrue.

How can we stand up every morning and utter these words when minority groups still battle for equality every day? LGBT rights are still debated and many minority groups still face discrimination. The Ku Klux Klan is allowed to operate even with its violent history against blacks. Is this really justice for all?

3. If America is free, then why should we be forced to participate in the pledge or National Anthem.

We have a freedom to protest, so how is it un-American to protest the pledge or anthem? Very few countries have a pledge and even fewer require young children to recite it. North Korea, a country we do not in any way associate with freedom, is one of the countries that require their youth to pledge allegiance to their country.

There are flaws in our country and how it was founded, and one of the greatest things about living in America is the freedom of speech we are given to speak up about it. So, next time, before you call someone “anti-American” for protesting either of these “valued traditions,” remember that slavery was also an American tradition. Not all traditions are righteous.