West Virginia v. Barnette: Forcing the Pledge of Allegiance? | 5-Minute Videos | PragerU
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Can the government demand that you publicly declare your loyalty to the country? That was the question confronted by the Supreme Court in 1943 in the landmark case of West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette. Kurt Lash, Professor of Law at the University of Richmond, discusses why the answer to this question was so significant then and remains so now.
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Transcript:
West Virginia v. Barnette: Forcing the Pledge of Allegiance?
Presented by Kurt Lash
Can the government demand that you publicly declare your loyalty to the country?
Can you or your children be punished for refusing to publicly salute the flag?
Your first reaction is probably an indignant, Of course not.
But what about times when it seems like support for the government is critically important, for example during times of war?
That was the question confronted by the Supreme Court in 1943 in the landmark case of West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette.
As World War II raged in Europe and Japan, the West Virginia Board of Education passed a rule requiring children to salute the American flag at the beginning of the school day. The purpose of this rule was to instill patriotism in the students.
Though its intent was benign, failure to comply would result in the child being expelled, the parents fined, and possibly jailed.
Marie and Gathie Barnett, members of the Jehovah's Witnesses church, strongly objected to the rule. They believed the salute and the pledge that went with it violated the biblical injunction in the Book of Exodus to never bow or honor any graven image:
You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the
