The Rise And Fall Of The Bellamy Salute, The Nazi-Like Gesture That Americans Once Used To Pledge Allegiance To The Flag

Actually, the children in the photo are saluting the American flag with what was known as the “Bellamy Salute” — a hand gesture used by generations of young Americans while pledging allegiance to the flag. Americans began to notice the parallels between their salute and the fascist salute starting in the 1930s, according to To the Flag: The Unlikely History of the Pledge of Allegiance by Richard J. Ellis. The pledge, the law explained, should “be rendered by standing with the right hand over the heart; extending the right hand, palm upward, toward the flag at the words ‘to the flag’ and holding this position until the end, when the hand drops to the side.” In other words, it kept the Bellamy Salute intact.

Author: Marco Margaritoff

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