This Sunday is “Flag Day”, honoring and displaying the American Flag.
On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress passed an act establishing an
official flag for the new nation. The resolution stated: “Resolved, that the
flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that
the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new
constellation.” In 1949 President Harry S Truman officially declared June 14
as Flag Day.
The history of our flag is as fascinating as that of the American Republic
itself. It has survived battles, inspired songs and evolved in response to
the growth of the country it represents. The origin of the first American
flag is unknown. Some historians believe it was designed by New Jersey
Congressman Francis Hopkinson and sewn by Philadelphia seamstress Betsy
Ross.
The name “Old Glory” was given to a large, 10-by-17-foot flag by its owner,
William Driver, a sea captain from Massachusetts. Inspiring the common
nickname for all American flags, Driver’s flag is said to have survived
multiple attempts to deface it during the Civil War. Driver was able to fly
the flag over the Tennessee Statehouse once the war ended.
Between 1777 and 1960 Congress passed several acts that changed the shape,
design and arrangement of the flag and allowed stars and stripes to be added
to reflect the admission of each new state.
Today the flag consists of 13 horizontal stripes, seven red alternating with
six white. The stripes represent the original 13 colonies and the stars
represent the 50 states of the Union. The colors of the flag are symbolic as
well, red symbolizes hardiness and valor, white symbolizes purity and
innocence, and blue represents vigilance, perseverance and justice.
There are a few locations where the U.S. flag is flown 24 hours a day, by
either presidential proclamation or by law:
– Fort McHenry, National Monument and Historic Shrine, Baltimore, Maryland
– Flag House Square, Baltimore, Maryland
– United States Marine Corps Memorial (Iwo Jima), Arlington, Virginia
– On the Green of the Town of Lexington, Massachusetts
– The White House, Washington, D.C.
– United States customs ports of entry
– Grounds of the National Memorial Arch in Valley Forge State Park
After a British bombardment, amateur poet Francis Scott Key was so inspired
by the sight of the American flag still flying over Baltimore’s Fort McHenry
that he wrote the “The Star-Spangled Banner” on Sept. 14, 1814. It
officially became our national anthem in 1931.
In 1892, the flag inspired James B. Upham and Francis Bellamy to write “The
Pledge of Allegiance”, first published in “The Youth’s Companion” magazine.
The first time the American flag was flown overseas on a foreign fort was in
Libya, over Fort Derne, on the shores of Tripoli in 1805. In 1909, Robert
Peary placed an American flag, sewn by his wife, at the North Pole. In 1963,
Barry Bishop placed the American flag on top of Mount Everest. In July 1969,
the American flag was “flown” in space when Neil Armstrong placed it on the
moon.
~~
Dr Bob Griffin
[email protected] www.grif.net
“Jesus Knows Me, This I Love!”