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di's Insite
Flag Day
On the 14th day of June, 1777, the Continental Congress passed the following resolution: "RESOLVED, That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes alternate red and white; that the Union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation."
Until then, there had been many different flags flying over our country. An English flag, known as the Red Ensign, waved over the 13 colonies from 1707 to the Revolution. The Red Ensign was the merchant flag of England. It was red with a union in the upper corner combining the cross of St. George (red on white), patron of England, with the diagonal cross (white on blue) of St. Andrew, patron of Scotland.
The flag that became known as the Grand Union flag was raised over George Washington's headquarters outside Boston on January 1, 1776. The Revolutionary War had started the year before and the colonies needed a flag of their own. The Grand Union flag retained the union of the English flag. Six white stripes broke the red field into seven red stripes - a total of 13 stripes.
A secret committee was formed to make the decision that a flag was needed. The Revolutionary War had started the year before and the colonies needed a flag of their own. Betsy Ross, about 24 years old, was the designer of our United States Flag. Her life is one of triumph through adversity. She was disowned by the Quakers. She lost one husband to an explosion at a munitions depot that he was guarding. Her second husband died in a British prison. She survived her third husband, who was sick for many years. She had seven daughters, two of whom died in infancy. Did you know that she was a business woman? A widow of a patriot, she took over the family business of upholstery, running it from her home. Flags were a specialty of her company. As a former Quaker, disowned, she had to bring in business outside of her circle. If you would like to know more about Betsy Ross, go to: http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/flaglife.html.
George Washington, George Ross, and Robert Morris, came to talk to her about making the United States Flag in the late Spring of 1776. She objected to a six-point star the committee had chosen and quickly showed them how a five-pointed star could be used instead. It convinced them and she got the order to make our first flag.
The flag that became known as the Grand Union flag was raised over George Washington's headquarters outside Boston on January 1, 1776. Since Congress' resolution did not state how the stars were to be arranged, flag makers arranged them in different ways, among them; rows, in a half circle, and in a full circle. The one adopted was made by Betsy Ross and had the stars in a full circle.
The flag that waved over Fort McHenry when it was bombarded, September 13-14, 1814, was a 15 star and 15 stripe flag. Two stripes and stars had been added to the original 13 on May 1, 1795. It became famous as the Star Spangled Banner. It was the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write our national anthem.
The Flag of 1818 had the stripes reduced to 13. Five more stars had been added, for a total of 20. When still more states joined the United States, it became evident that the flag would get to be an awkward shape if more and still more stripes were added. Therefore, on April 4, 1818, Congress passed a law that restored the design back to the original 13 stripes. It also provided that a star be added to the blue field for each new state.
Though our Fourth of July celebration came first, Flag Day originated in 1885. Did you know a 19 year old school teacher paid just $40 a month, originated it? BJ Cigrand arranged for the students in Fredonia, Wisconsin to observe the 108th anniversary of the official adoption our flag's birthday, June 14th. By 1893 the idea had grown to several organizations to celebrate Flag Day. In Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution endorsed it, resulting in the Superintendent of Public Schools to have flag exercises held on June 14, 1893. Students carried small flags and sang patriotic songs. On June 14, 1889, George Balch, a kindergarten teacher in New York City, planned appropriate ceremonies for the children of his school, and his idea of observing Flag Day was later adopted by the State Board of Education of New York. On June 14, 1891, the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia held a Flag Day celebration, and on June 14 of the following year, the New York Society of the Sons of the Revolution, celebrated Flag Day. New York ordered flags on all public buildings. The American Flag Day Association was organized for the purpose of promoting flag day. The first general public school celebration was held in Chicago with more than 300,000 students participating.
It wasn't till May 30th, 1916 that Flag Day became official. President Woodrow Wilson issued the proclamation and for years communities celebrated it.
The United States adopted a detailed flag code in 1942, which established rules and customs for display and honoring of the national flag. While strictly adhered to by the Armed Forces, the flag code is treated as a matter of etiquette by civilians. The Pledge of Allegiance is also recited in the U.S. to show respect for the Flag.
It took an act of Congress on August 3, 1949, signed by President Truman to designate June 14th, as our National Flag Day.
In 1989 and 1990, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down laws declaring flag burning to be desecration, and instead reaffirmed First Amendment rights of self-expression. These rulings caused a great deal of anger among patriotic groups, which have in turn called for a Constitutional Amendment to protect the U.S. Flag as a symbol of our Nation.
If you would like to know the United States Code for patriotic customs of the flag, go to this link:
http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/36/ch10.html
For more facts and trivia on the flag, go to:
http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/
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© 2000 di
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