Flags have been used for centuries for identification, sending messages and inspiring unity in support of a cause, nation, religion or set of beliefs.
After the Continental Congress declared independence from Great Britain in July 1776, the newly formed United States of America needed a military standard and a symbol to rally around. It was only natural to approve a new flag, representing a new nation.
Therefore, on June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress resolved that “the flag of the United States shall be of 13 stripes of alternate red and white, with a union of 13 stars of white in a blue field, representing the new constellation.”
What is Flag Day?
Flag Day observes the anniversary of the adoption of the American flag. It is held yearly on June 14, the date of the original resolution.
Flag Day provides an opportunity to honor the flag and the freedoms it represents. It also promotes a sense of unity and patriotism among Americans.
It is not a federal holiday, so banks, post offices and federal offices typically remain open.
What is the Origin of Flag Day?
According to the Connecticut State Library, Hartford resident Jonathan Flynt Morris first suggested the idea for a day to commemorate the flag in June 1861. The country had just been thrust into civil war and “the flag and the constitution were both on trial,” Flynt told Hartford Evening Press editor Charles Dudley Warner. Warner wrote an editorial calling for a national holiday to observe the flag.
The idea caught on, particularly in schools and municipalities.
When Was the First Flag Day?
Wisconsin school teacher Bernard J. Cigrand is often cited for holding the first Flag Day ceremony. In 1885, he urged his students to celebrate the “Flag’s Birthday.”
Another claim credits New York City Professor George Bolch for holding the first Flag Day ceremonies at his free kindergarten on June 14, 1889. The observance was later adopted by all New York public schools to help Americanize the numerous immigrant children flooding the city.
Presidents Wilson and Coolidge both issued proclamations in support of a National Flag Day, but it wasn’t until 1949 that President Harry S. Truman signed the national observance into law.
Who Designed the American Flag?
Most schoolchildren are familiar with the story of Betsy Ross, who is said to have designed the first American flag featuring red and white stripes with a circle of 13 stars. Some historians now believe this bit of flag lore is inaccurate. As a seamstress, Betsy Ross undoubtedly sewed flags, but she may not have designed our country’s first flag.
The Library of Congress credits Francis Hopkinson with the flag’s design. Hopkinson, a delegate from New Jersey who signed the Declaration of Independence, also designed the Great Seal and the country’s first coin.
The design of the American flag has changed over the years. Very early on, both stars and stripes were added to represent new states. So in 1795, after Vermont and Kentucky became states, the flag bore 15 stars and 15 stripes.
This is the version of the flag immortalized by Francis Scott Key’s “Star Spangled Banner” in 1814, which became America’s National Anthem.
America grew quickly and by 1818, it was decided to return the flag to its original 13 stripes, adding a star for each new state.
In total, the American flag has gone through 27 variations. Our current flag with 50 stars has been in use since 1960, the longest of any design, notes the American Battlefield Trust.
Why Do We Call the Flag ‘Old Glory’?
When 21-year-old seaman William Driver assumed his first command, his mother and several female admirers presented him with a 10-foot by 17-foot flag to fly on board his ship.
Driver proudly flew this flag through many trials and adventures during his years at sea.
Later, when the young widower retired to Nashville and remarried, the flag came with him and he displayed it regularly.
Even when Tennessee seceded from the Union, Driver flew his flag and his defiance became national news.
Driver protected his flag from being seized several times during the Civil War. Eventually, the flag was sewn inside a bed quilt for safe-keeping, where it survived until Northern troops entered Nashville.
Driver once wrote of his flag: “It has ever been my staunch companion and protection. Savages and heathens, lowly and oppressed, hailed and welcomed it at the far end of the wide world. Then, why should it not be called Old Glory?”
Americans who admired Driver’s patriotism and notoriety adopted the name Old Glory as a popular nickname for all American flags.
Driver’s original flag is part of the collection of the Smithsonian Institution.
How to Display the Flag
The following guidelines on displaying the American Flag were provided by the U.S. Department of Defense and the New York State AssemSbly.
Display the flag from sunrise to sunset. The flag may be displayed at night only if properly lighted.
Do not display the flag during bad weather.
The flag should flow freely and never brush against any object or touch anything beneath it, including the floor.
When displayed horizontally or vertically against a wall, the union (white stars on blue field) should be placed to the observer’s left.
The flag should never be displayed upside down, except to signal distress or danger.
The flag may be displayed any day, but especially during national holidays.
The flag may be flown at half staff in times of national tragedy, when recognizing the death of a government official, military member or first responder, and before noon on Memorial Day.
Only use flags in good repair. When a flag is worn, it should be destroyed in a dignified manner, preferably by burning.