The Bellamy Salute to the American Flag

From Wikipedia.

Yesterday I mentioned the American school children doing what really looks a lot like the Nazi salute to the American flag in a Shorpy picture.  I did some more research and there was good old Wiki.

Francis Bellamy was a minister and author of the American Pledge of Allegiance.  He developed this flag salute to go along with it which is sometimes referred to as "The Flag Salute."

However, in the 1920s and 1930s Italian fascists and the Nazis adopted a salute with a very similar form which was derived from the Roman Salute.

This caused problems with the Bellamy Salute.

The salute officially became hand-over-the-heart salute when Congress amended the Flag Code on December 22, 1942.

--GreGen

Shorpy War Photos-- Part 2: Rowers and Nazi Salute in American Schools?

From the Shorpy photo site.

APRIL 11, 2014 BEACHED: 1942--  July 1942  July 1942  "U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland, rowing crew.  Lt. Whitman, OWI.

Even with the war on, the new officers still had to be trained.

APRIL 9, 2014  TO THE REPUBLIC: 1942  May 1942  "Southington, Ct..  School children pledging allegiance to the flag."  By Fenno Jacobs, OWI.

A very interesting photo.  At first I thought they were doing the Nazi salute as the kids were holding up their right hands at a 45 degree angle. with the hand palm down

A reader commented that this was the Bellamy Salute where students were to turn their hands over when the words "to my flag" were said.  Later it was changed to the right hand over the heart and the words "to the flag."

This occurred because what they were doing was too similar to the Nazi salute.

Later, the hand was changed to over the heart throughout the pledge.

A Really Interesting Photo.  --GreGen