So ends "The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag" of the United States.
The lofty goal of "liberty and justice for all" reflects the times and temper of the early years of the United States. In many instances the colonists were escaping from the oppression of their native lands in Europe. The Puritans settling in New England were very concerned about their religious liberty. The coupling of liberty and justice in the pledge is not a random choice. Liberty is the freedom of the individual, cherished by all. Justice represents the just dealing of individuals with each other and usually refers to the administration of law by the courts in an evenhanded way so as to apply equally to all people. Individual liberty must be protected and preserved by a practical system of justice.
Since the Colonial days, the United States has grown to a population of more than 240,000,000 people. It has changed from a nation of farmlands and vast areas of unsettled frontier to a nation of many large cities and metropolitan areas. Its courts have changed from a system of judges riding circuit over large areas and holding court from time to time in different locations to a complicated structure of interrelated federal and state courts, with most courts suffering from crowded court calendars. There can be a delay of as much as five years in getting a case to trial in the largest cities.
