Some nations have it, some don't. The Brits have the Union Jack/Flag, and it's taken enough stick over the years that no-one is really that bothered if some idiot in a Middle Eastern country decides to set fire to it, so long as it's not attached to a British soldier at the time. But we do have little bits of heritage and history that we are quite proud of, and it depends from area to area, Scotland may have Edinburgh castle, Wales has it's hills and valleys, England has Big Ben, Westminster, heritage buildings and such, and we do tend to get a bit ranked when tourists refer to our towns and villages as 'quaint' but even with the Royal family, to be honest, I think the US has more affection for the Royal family than some Brits
I think since the end of the Empire and the Second World War, a lot of British people have gotten very empathetic towards their country, we may like it, but we realise it's not as good as we want it to be.
As for taking a pledge in school, well, I personally think it's up to the individual, if you don't want to recite the words than that's your decision...to be honest, it should be your freedom to do so, after all, it's that sort of freedom that the US was set up to have, wasn't it?