Contrary to popular belief, the Pledge of Allegiance has not been around since the country's founding. The pledge first appeared in 1892, was codified in 1942 with "under God" added in 1954. Reciting the pledge is voluntary, yet Baby boomers grew up reciting it in school every morning. Today, the secular left is aggressively trying to eliminate the "under God" element of the pledge as part of their overall "freedom from religion" agenda. The right is determined to maintain the pledge in its 1954 version.