The Real Story of Flag Day
If you’re anything like me, you woke up this morning to a calendar pop-up telling you that Flag Day is tomorrow, June 14th. You probably know as much about Flag Day as I know about JoJo Siwa—I’ve heard of her. , I know it has something to do with music, but I assume it’s for other people, so I never looked into the topic further. But read on if you’re interested in learning about Flag Day—where it came from, who celebrates it, why it exists, and what it all means .
What is Flag Day anyway?
Flag Day, celebrated annually on June 14, commemorates the anniversary of the 1777 resolution of the Continental Congress establishing the design of the American flag with the following inspiring words that all schoolchildren know by heart: “Resolved, That the flag of the thirteen United States shall consist of thirteen stripes. , alternate red and white; that the union will be thirteen white stars on a blue field, representing a new constellation.”
Woodrow Wilson first proclaimed June 14 as Flag Day in 1916, and Harry Truman made it official in 1949 by signing the event into law. However, one day was not patriotic enough; In 1966, Congress declared Flag Day in the middle of Flag Week. Take this, communists.
Can I take a day off for Flag Day?
You don’t have time to spare for Flag Day (and you don’t even think about Flag Week). Respecting the design of our flag is important to all Americans, but not enough to get a good holiday, which is why mail still gets delivered, federal offices and banks remain open, and there are no three-day weekends. I think we can all agree that this is a rip-off.
Where did Flag Day come from?
In 1885, Bernard J. Sigrand, an 18-year-old teacher from Waubeck, Wisconsin, assigned his students to write essays about what the American flag meant to them. Soon after, Sigrand left teaching and left Wisconsin to become a dentist, but he never forgot his patriotic pursuits and spent years lobbying the U.S. government to make the day a holiday.
In a Flag Day speech in 1917, President Wilson linked the holiday to the need to send American troops to Europe to fight in World War I. I think the real reason for Flag Day’s existence stems not from a writing assignment from a patriotic Wisconsin teacher, but from a campaign to sway public opinion to support America’s involvement in World War I.
How do people celebrate Flag Day?
According to Military.com , “Flag Day is celebrated with parades, essay contests, ceremonies and picnics sponsored by veterans groups, schools and groups such as the National Flag Day Foundation.” I find this dubious. I love ceremonies and essay competitions, but have never attended any Flag Day celebrations, nor have any of the thousands of my friends, colleagues and well-wishers.
They celebrate Flag Day in Waubeck, Wisconsin. This year the city will host a parade, fireworks display and a musical performance by Eric Barbieri and The Rockin’ Krakens .
Who designed the American flag?
We honor the flag on Flag Day, but we don’t honor the graphic designer who invented it. The Continental Congress’s “this is what our flag shall be” proclamation doesn’t go into much detail about how the alternating red and white stripes and stars should be placed, so technically they could be placed anywhere, but someone came up with the design we all know and we endure. We just don’t know for sure who it was.
It almost certainly wasn’t Betsy Ross. She sewed flags during the American Revolution, but the story that President Washington presented Ross with a rough sketch that she modified to make our flag is not supported by any evidence other than stories told within the Ross family, so historians say, “Nope.” “
The main suspect in flag design is Francis Hopkinson, a founding father, poet, playwright and musician who also had a talent for design. Among other iconic works of America, he created the Seal of the United States (and by extension, The Ramones logo).
Hopkinson wrote a letter to the Admiralty in 1780 asking for payment for the design of the US flag. He asked for “a quarter barrel of public wine,” but the request was rejected, partly because the board said other, unnamed people were also working on the flag design, and partly because the nation was broke.
Don’t we celebrate the flag on the 4th of July? Isn’t this enough already?
July 4th is a day to celebrate the independence of our country and its overall greatness. Flag Day is meant to celebrate the symbol of our country’s universal greatness. Don’t worry about getting it mixed up, though; It’s a free country, so they won’t throw you in jail for this – YET.