Flag Day
God bless America and God
bless Flag Day. This national holiday
that takes place on June 14th every year is a celebration of all
things America, particularly the beautiful stars and stripes of the American
flag. Did you know that America’s flag
has fifty stars to represent the fifty states?
Well you do if you’re a Flag Day enthusiast. Also did you know that the thirteen stripes alternated between
the colors of red and white are steeped in some serious symbolism? You see, the fact that there are thirteen
stripes on the American flag is to represent the thirteen original American
colonies. The red stripes represent
courage and America’s motherland of England.
The white stripes however represent liberty, a noble goal considering
that the American flag was designed at a time when America was still a young
country with some shaky prospects.
Flag Day is a national
holiday that allows Americans to indulge in some patriotism. While country love is something that most
Americans don’t indulge in on a day-to-day basis due to their famed reserved
nature, Flag Day is a celebration of that piece of fabric lovingly known as the
Stars and Stripes or even Old Glory.
Being patriotic is a necessity on Flag Day and it’s even recommended
that each American pledges their allegiance to the flag, their country, and
even themselves.
The story of the creation of
the American flag is a fascinating one.
Legend has it that three members of a secret committee from the
Continental Congress visited the widow and upholsterer, Betsy Ross, under the
dark cover of the night. These three
representatives of the Continental Congress were Robert Morris, George Ross,
and some dude named George Washington.
Their reason for visiting Betsy was a serious one, as they had a pretty
heavy request: sew the first flag for a new country. While other upholsterers may have crumbled at the weight of such
a heavy expectation, Betsy Ross rose to the challenge and began to sew fervently. Many flags had been used at this point in
time to represent this burgeoning country.
One involved a rattlesnake while another one had a liberty tree
prominently displayed. However, Betsy
Ross had a better plan for a flag: a rectangular flag with thirteen white stars
in a blue field on the left corner that represents a new constellation. Thirteen stripes alternating between red and
white throughout the rest of the flag.
This simple design would
become a national treasure and would inspire spontaneous celebrations of the
flag. Legend has it that in 1885, the
schoolteacher BJ Cigrand arranged for the students of Wisconsin Public School
in Fredonia to observe June 14th as the Flag’s Birthday. June 14th was chosen to respect the
anniversary of the official adoption of the flag. This spontaneous gesture was praised throughout the nation and
other Flag Day celebrations soon popped up throughout the country.
Noticing that the country
was abuzz with Flag Day fever, President Woodrow Wilson who was fighting a
particularly nasty presidential election battle officially established Flag Day
in a proclamation made on May 30, 1916.
However, much like other his other presidential proclamations, Flag Day
wasn’t really celebrated until President Harry Truman signed an Act of Congress
on August 3, 1949 that designated Flag Day as an annual national holiday.
Flag Day is a great time to
gather around with your friends and family and make your personal declaration
of dependence to that flag conceived by Betsy Ross. It’s a time to celebrate, play games, and stare reverently at
your flag. However, it is highly
recommended that however crazy your Flag Day celebrations get, that you do not
burn your flag. That’s just low class.
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