June 14
Flag Day |
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June 14, Official Flag day of United States. Many People don't know why the flag day is celebrated in united state on june 14. Only Few people knows history of American Flag and it colors also strips and stars meaning.
Contrary to popular legend, the first official U.S. flag was not sewn by Betsy Ross on instructions from Gen. George Washington, at the time the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army.
Ross actually made a flag for Washington in early 1776, but that was before there was a United States of America. Ross used a design by Washington to make that flag.
It contained 13 alternate red and white stripes, but had the British Union Jack in the upper left corner.
Washington flew the flag at the Battle of Prospect Hill in Boston that January and at his headquarters. It was called the Grand Union Flag. Washington discontinued its use after the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, because the Union Jack represented Great Britain.
To the end of her life, Ross claimed she made the first American flag.
The first official U.S. flag was ordered by the Marine Committee of the Second Continental Congress under a law passed June 14, 1777, which gave directions for making the U.S. flag and how it should appear.
Francis Hopkinson of New Jersey, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, put in a claim to Congress in 1777 for designing the first official American flag as prescribed by that law. It had 13 stripes, alternating from red to white, and the upper left quadrant of the flag was blue with 13 five-pointed stars in a circle.
Hopkinson billed Congress for “A quarter cask of public wine,” but Congress rejected payment because he was already drawing a salary as a member of Congress.
At that time, no one, not even Ross, rejected Hopkinson’s claim.
Ross’ grandson, William Canby, claimed in 1877 that his grandmother made the first flag, but Mary Pickersgill, daughter of Rebecca Young of Boston, disputed that.
Pickersgill claimed her mother told her she had made the flag for Washington in 1776.
The dispute has never been settled, but popular history credits Betsy Ross as the first U.S. flag-maker.
In 1795, Congress authorized the addition of another stripe and star on the flag each time a new state entered the Union. It was a 15-star, 15-stripe flag that Francis Scott Key saw over Fort McHenry during the War of 1812 that inspired him to write “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
After the war ended, Congress saw the flag was becoming too big with the addition of stripes for new states in the Union.
At the suggestion of Capt. Capt. Samuel Reid, U.S. Navy, Congress decided in April 1818 to add a new star when a territory became a state, and set the number of stripes at 13. Congress quickly agreed and new law specified that new stars would only be added after July 4 following the admission of a new state.
At various periods in American history, the stars were arranged in a circular pattern, and in the early 1820s, the stars were arranged to show a five-pointed star. The last circular star pattern was in 1890, when Colorado became a state.
The most recent stars added to the flag were Alaska after July 4, 1959, and Hawaii in 1960 after it was admitted as a state in August 1959. For about a year, the country had a 49-star flag.
No states have been admitted for 51 years, the longest period in American history without the addition of a new state.
Surprisingly, Congress has never officially established what the colors, stripes or stars signify.
The U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry has said that, unofficially, the 13 stripes represent the 13 original colonies.
Each five-pointed star represents a different state in the Union. The white on the flag represents purity and innocence; the red signifies hardiness, courage and the blood shed by so many people to gain freedom. The blue traditionally has meant vigilance, perseverance and justice.
White stripes cutting through the red stripes represented a political statement in 1777, of America (in white stripes) cuttings its ties with Britain (represented by red stripes).
As there is no official meaning of the colors or stars, other interpretations have been offered, including one that says white represents heaven and red represents hell.
The heraldry institute has prepared designs for flags containing up to 56 stars, should additional territories become states.
The only possible candidates for statehood at present are Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., although Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa and the Marshall Islands in the Pacific (Saipan and Tinian) are large enough to begin the long process for statehood.
And that’s all you need to know to remember to display the flag next year — on June 14.
Other history of Flag Day by Wikipedia
In the United States, Flag Day is celebrated on June 14. It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States, which happened that day by resolution of the Second Continental Congress in 1777.[1]
In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation that officially established June 14 as Flag Day; in August 1949, National Flag Day was established by an Act of Congress.
Flag Day is not an official federal holiday, though on June 14, 1937, Pennsylvania became the first (and only) U.S. state to celebrate Flag Day as a state holiday, beginning in the town of Rennerdale.[1] Title 36 of the United States Code, Subtitle I, Part A, CHAPTER 1, § 110[2] is the official statute on Flag Day; however, it is at the President's discretion to proclaim officially the observance.
One of the longest-running Flag Day parades is held annually in Quincy, Massachusetts, which began in 1952, celebrating its 59th year in 2010.[3] The 59th Annual Appleton Wisconsin 2009 Flag Day Parade featured the U.S. Navy. The largest Flag Day parade is held annually in Troy, New York, which bases its parade on the Quincy parade and typically draws 50,000 spectators.[1][4]
Perhaps the oldest continuing Flag Day parade is at Fairfield, Washington.[5] Beginning in 1909 or 1910, Fairfield has held a parade every year since, with the possible exception of 1918, and celebrated the "Centennial" parade in 2010, along with some other commemorative events.
