Today’s post, in honor of Flag Day, comes from Alex Nieuwsma, an intern in the National Archives History Office.
On June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress officially adopted the Stars and Stripes as the National Flag of the United States of America. Through its many changes and iterations, the American flag has come to represent the physical geography of the nation by including as many stars as states, as well as a remembrance of the nation’s origins as seen in the 13 red and white stripes.
The American flag also serves as a reminder of what America and her citizens represent: liberty, equality, and justice.
Designed by Francis Hopkinson, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, the flag was originally intended to be used as a naval sign. However, growing nationalism around the world during the 18th century led many countries to establish a national flag, the United States included. It is unclear how or why Congress selected Hopkinson’s design for this honor.
The involvement of Betsy Ross in the design and creation of the first American flag is largely fictitious. It is likely that her grandson, William J. Canby, developed the story in the 1870s and that her only connection to the American flag was as a Philadelphia flag maker who sewed flags and banners for the United States military.
President Woodrow Wilson officially established June 14 as Flag Day in 1916. He issued a proclamation encouraging all Americans to “rededicate ourselves to the nation, ‘one and inseparable’ . . . and in which we shall stand with united hearts.”
Following 1916, Flag Day was unofficially observed every year. It wasn’t until 1949 that Congress passed a law requiring the President to give an annual Flag Day Proclamation, encouraging Americans to honor the American flag during the week of June 14 by displaying it publicly.
Despite a requirement that all Federal Government buildings display the American flag on Flag Day, it is not an official Federal holiday. Several states have declared June 14 to be a state holiday, however, prompting communities across the nation to celebrate with parades and other events that commemorate the flag and what it stands for.
This year’s Flag Day Proclamation will designate June 14, 2015, to be Flag Day and National Flag Week to be June 14 until June 20, 2015.
American flag is the pride of the people
The fifty stars on the Wartime US Flag is incorrect as they don’t include Puerto Rico, Guam, etc. See as follows: Puerto Rico’s status as a U.S. territory has its unique set of advantages and limitations. While Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, they do not have the right to vote in presidential elections and lack voting representation in Congress. This distinction sets Puerto Rico apart from the rest of the states and territories in the United States.
Did the Flag Act of Apr 4, 1818 (which set the number of stripes to 13) make any explicit reference as to what the stripes symbolized?
I’ve seen an article on the web posted by WHTM on 4/4/2024 (abc27.com) that says that the act specified that the stripes represented the original 13 states.
Prep materials for the Citizenship test assert that the stripes represent the original 13 colonies.
The Citizenship Quiz in the online WashPost on 7/4/2024 asked why the flag has 13 stripes. It counted “13 colonies” as correct but “13 states” as incorrect. Since the 13 colonies and 13 states were the same entities, I think both should be accepted. If one is more accurate, I believe it should be states. The previous flag had 15 stars and 15 stripes, representing the states at that time.