What Do We Show Loyalty to When We Say the Pledge of Allegiance? Civics Question 66

We show loyalty to the United States, or to the flag. Either answer alone is correct.

Question 66 asks what we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance. Say “the United States” or “the flag.” You do not need both. This is a starred question, so it can also appear on the shorter test for applicants who are 65 or older.

The Answer Is in the First Line

The Pledge begins: “I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands.”

Read that again and both accepted answers are sitting there. Allegiance goes to the flag, and to the country the flag stands for. Allegiance is an older word for loyalty, so the sentence is already telling you what the question wants.

The rest of the Pledge describes the country rather than naming a new thing to be loyal to. One nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Why the Officer Asks This

Loyalty is the center of becoming a citizen. At your naturalization ceremony you will take the Oath of Allegiance, and the Pledge is usually said that same day, in the same room.

The question is checking that you understand what you are promising and to whom. It leads straight into question 67, which asks about the promises in the Oath itself, so the two are worth learning as a pair.

How to Remember It

The flag is a piece of cloth that stands for a country, so the two answers are really one answer wearing two coats. Loyalty to the flag is loyalty to the United States.

If you want a hook, remember that the words flag and United States both appear in the first line of the Pledge, in that order. Say either one and you have quoted the Pledge back.

What to Say on Test Day

Say “the United States.” Stop there.

If the flag comes out of your mouth first, that is fine too, because both are marked correct. Do not recite the whole Pledge. The officer asked for one answer.