Zur Geschichte des Bellamy-Grusses siehe: Pledge of Allegiance - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Bellamy
Die wichtigsten Informationen hier:
"Francis Julius Bellamy (May 18, 1855 – August 28, 1931) was an American Christian socialist minister and author, best known for writing the original version of the US Pledge of Allegiance in 1892."
"In his recollection of the creation of the Pledge, Francis Bellamy said, "At the beginning of the nineties patriotism and national feeling was (sic) at a low ebb. The patriotic ardor of the Civil War was an old story ... The time was ripe for a reawakening of simple Americanism and the leaders in the new movement rightly felt that patriotic education should begin in the public schools."
"In 1892, Francis Bellamy created what was known as the Bellamy salute. It started with the hand outstretched toward the flag, palm down, and ended with the palm up. Because of the similarity between the Bellamy salute and the Nazi salute, which was adopted in Germany later, the US Congress stipulated that the hand-over-the-heart gesture as the salute to be rendered by civilians during the Pledge of Allegiance and the national anthem in the US would be the salute to replace the Bellamy salute. Removal of the Bellamy salute occurred on December 22, 1942, when Congress amended the Flag Code language first passed into law on June 22, 1942. Attached to bills passed in Congress in 2008 and then in 2009 (Section 301(b)(1) of title 36, United States Code), language was included which authorized all active duty military personnel and all veterans in civilian clothes to render a proper hand salute during the raising and lowering of the flag, when the colors are presented, and during the National Anthem."
Der Gruss wird oft auch als "stretched arm salute" bezeichnet. Er wurde in den Schulen der USA erst 1942 nach dem Kriegseintritt in Europa abgeschafft.