Flags
An American flag hung on a pole outside most schools in the nineteenth century. Patriotic songs were sung in school on most days. Patriotism became stronger in schools at the beginning of the twentieth century, with the great influx of new immigrants. The flag salute was introduced in the 1920s and gained universal acceptance in public schools by mid-century.
The flag remains in schools today, both in individual classrooms and outside the school on a flagpole. The collective flag salute remains in schools today, but it is not the ubiquitous ritual it was throughout much of the twentieth century. In fact, many public schools today do not have any daily expression of national allegiance or patriotism.
Then & Now:
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