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Flag salute no longer mandatory...
Flag salute no longer mandatory...
Item # 719994
June 14, 1943
ELMIRA STAR-GAZETTE, New York, June 14, 1943
* West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette
* United States Supreme Court decision
* Pledge of Allegiance - flag salute unconstitutional
* Johovah's Witnesses & public schools
The front page has a three column photo with heading: "1777--Old Glory's 166 Years Old Today--1943", which includes the full text of the "Pledge of Allegiance"
Also a two column heading: "U.S. Pays Tribute to Allied Flags"
But the most important report has a one column heading: "Court Alters Ruling on Flag Salute" (see images)
This historic ruling stated that reciting the Pledge of Allegiance was not mandatory in schools, driven by a challenge by the Jehovah's Witnesses.
Complete with 12 pages, light toning along the central fold, generally in nice condition.
AI notes: On June 13, 1943, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its landmark decision in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette. The case arose after West Virginia required public schoolchildren to salute the flag and recite the Pledge of Allegiance; Jehovah’s Witnesses objected on religious grounds, believing such compulsory patriotic rituals violated their faith. In a 6–3 ruling, the Court struck down the mandatory pledge law, declaring it unconstitutional under the First Amendment. Justice Robert H. Jackson, writing for the majority, emphasized that no official could prescribe orthodoxy in matters of opinion or force citizens to confess faith in symbols. The decision overturned the Court’s 1940 ruling in Minersville School District v. Gobitis and became a defining moment in U.S. constitutional history, affirming freedom of speech and conscience even in wartime.
Category: The 20th Century
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