On this day 235 years ago, June 14, 1777, the Congress adopted a resolution making the “Stars and Stripes” the national symbol for the United States. The entry in the journal of the Continental Congress 1774-1789 Vol. VIII 1777 reads “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.”
As with virtually all matters of state, the current specifications for the national flag run several pages and involve precise proportions, very exact color profiles and many other technical details. In some regard, this specificity is understandable. Soon after adoption in 1777, the flag grew in number of stripes, stars and proportions. Some of the early post-adoption versions are almost comically absurd in their layout. Accordingly, a clearly expressed (if complex) standard has many advantages.
Beyond the appearance of the flag, Congress has adopted a set of comprehensive guidelines for the proper respect, display and treatment of the flag. In a document prepared by the Congressional Research Service, “The United States Flag: Federal Law Relating to Display and Associated Questions” (accessible at http://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/RL30243.pdf) one can find answers to virtually every flag-related quandary. Can the flag be flown at night? Can it be used in advertising? What are the recommended sizes for government office buildings? All these questions and many more are detailed therein.
The U. S. flag has long been venerated as an enduring symbol of our union. From formalized observances such as Francis Scott Key’s poem and the Pledge of Allegiance to children waving stick flags at a parade, the red white and blue unifies a diverse nation in a single symbol.
Today, June 14 is traditionally observed as National Flag Day. There are many claims as to the inspiration for the national observance. One story posits the origin as a Hartford, Conn., celebration in 1861. A more common story attributes the origin to the efforts of a 19th century Wisconsin school teacher. In 1885, John Bernard Cigrand, a 19-year-old school teacher at Waubeka, Wis., placed a 10-inch 38-star flag in an inkwell and had his students write essays on what the flag meant to them. Cigrand called June 14th the flag’s birthday. Cigrand’s Stony Hill Schoolhouse is now a historical site.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Another well-recognized claim comes from New York. On June 14, 1889, Professor George Bolch, principal of a free kindergarten for the poor of New York City, had his school hold patriotic ceremonies to observe the anniversary of the Flag Day resolution. This initiative attracted attention from the State Department of Education, which arranged to have the day observed in all public schools thereafter.
Whatever the precise origins, by the dawn of the 20th century, the anniversary was informally observed across the nation. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a presidential proclamation establishing a national Flag Day as June 14. Congressional legislation designating that date as the national Flag Day was signed into law by President Harry Truman in 1949. The legislation also called upon the president to issue a flag day proclamation every year.
Congress passed a joint resolution on June 9, 1966, asking the president to issue annually a proclamation designating the week in which June 14 falls as “National Flag Week” and calling upon all citizens of the United States to display the flag during that week.
As the song says, “it’s a grand old flag, a high flying flag.” It binds us, reflects our strength and compassion. It is a symbol of all that is right with our great nation. Display it proudly.