To those who wonder if “Flag Day” is an official recognition, the answer is an unambiguous yes. [1]
June 14 is the date in 1777 when the Continental Congress passed its resolution that established the official flag of the United States of America. If that strikes you as a bit late in our history, it was. At the outset of the American Revolution, colonists “fought mainly under unit or regimental flags.” This is also a good spot to set aside the stories you’ve heard about Betsy Ross. [2]
In the early 1900s, Presidents William Howard Taft and Woodrow Wilson took steps to set standards for elements of the US flag and establish a day each year for observance. There were also mechanical changes to reflect the addition of states. But it wasn’t until 1949 when President Harry S Truman signed formal legislation that we came to have “Flag Day” as it now stands.
However, those who are not already invested in the United States flag are not likely to become so through rote commitment of past facts to memory or citing legislation. While not exclusively emotional, either, the connections invariably have a very personal element. Every American can take inspiration from an iconic image where the moment would not have been complete without appearance of their flag.
- Francis Scott Key and the inspiration he drew upon once again seeing the garrison flag over Fort McHenry [3,4,5]
- United States Marines on Iwo Jima. [6,7]
- Formal NASA press photographs of astronaut Christa McAuliffe who had trained to be the first teacher in space [8,9]
- United States Postal Service use as focal point on commemorative stamp [10]
- Hillary Clinton accepting Democratic Party nomination to run for President of the United States [11]
Locally, every Saline City Council Meeting opens with the Pledge of Allegiance to our flag. [12]
Disparate as all of the above may seem, the thread common to each is an appreciation of the US flag as unifying symbol and connection to shared heritage. This is why all so-called “movements” that would use expressions of disrespect for that same flag in service to any cause will themselves invariably become regarded with the greatest contempt — notwithstanding any right to do so. [13,14]
For everyone else, Military.com hosts an impressive page titled simply “Flag Day” on its website. Worth special attention under this is a video they produced under the title, “How to Properly Display the American Flag.” In addition to more common care and concern issues, interesting direction is provided for the display of the flag at residences and on the right shoulder of uniform apparel. [13]
That the United States has such a day as this is itself reason enough to celebrate on this Thursday, June 14, 2018.
References
- “The History of the American Flag” PBS.
- “The Mysterious Origins of the American Flag” Jesse Greenspan (June 13, 2012) History.
- “Star-Spangled Banner and the War of 1812” Smithsonian.
- “Star-Spangled Banner Back on Display” Robert M Poole (November 2008) Smithsonian Magazine.
- “The Star-Spangled Banner” History.
- “The Battle for Iwo Jima” The National WWII Museum.
- “Raising The Flag At Iwo Jima: Story Behind The Photo | Flashback | NBC News” NBC News (February 23, 2015) YouTube.
- “Biographical Data: S Christa Corrigan McCauliffe – Teacher in space participant (deceased)” Lyndon B Johnson Space Center.
- “NASA’s Lovely Tribute to the Teacher Who Perished on Challenger” Marina Koren (January 19, 2018) The Atlantic.
- “33c Desegregating Public Schools single” Smithsonian: National Postal Museum.
- “Hillary Clinton Accepts the Democratic Nomination at the DNC” Lissandra Villa and Will Drabold (July 28, 2016) Time.
- “Document Center” Saline City Michigan.
- “Five Things to Know About the Case That Made Burning the Flag Legal” Erin Blackmore (November 29, 2016) Smithsonian.
- “What Is Flag Day?” Jennie Cohen (June 14, 2018) History.
- “Flag Day” Military.
