Wonder. Awe. Pride. Love of country and love of my countrymen. These are the emotions that sweep over me when I see our flag flying, or when I hear the National Anthem that our flag inspired. The flag was intended to be a universal emblem to unite Americans, and it has a rich history, which led to the establishment of a holiday recognizing its importance as a national symbol. Do you know the story?
Flag Day is celebrated each year on June 14, the date on which the American flag was officially adopted in 1777. While it is an oft overlooked holiday, it presents a great opportunity for teaching our children about history, and the symbolism which our flag represents.
When the Revolutionary War began in 1775, the Colonies were not yet united and therefore did not have a flag to represent them as a whole. Instead of one unifying flag for the colonial forces, troops fought under a variety of ensigns with different symbols and slogans, including “Don’t Tread on Me,” “Liberty or Death,” and “Conquer or Die.” The need for a single “American” flag that the troops could unify around became evident, but the first flag design was too similar to the British flag to further galvanize the colonists. On June 14, 1777 the Second Continental Congress passed the Flag Resolution, which stated “that the flag of the United States shall be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation.”
We know that the 13 stripes and stars were chosen to represent the 13 colonies, but why were these colors chosen? The Flag Resolution does not elaborate, but in 1782, the Congress of the Articles of Confederation selected the same colors for the Great Seal of the United States. The colors were symbolic: Red represents valor and hardiness, white stands for purity and innocence, and blue represents vigilance, perseverance, and justice.
Folklore and legends abound regarding the creation of the first flag, but what we do know for certain is that the first design did not remain static for long: the American flag has undergone many revisions since the original was flown in 1777. As the young United States began to grow, her flag also underwent growth. At the time of the War of 1812, 2 new states had joined the original 13 so that there were now 15 stripes and 15 stars in the new flag design. It was this flag, flying high over Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland, that inspired the writing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” by Francis Scott Key, which was ultimately chosen to be the national anthem of the United States of America.
As more states were admitted to the United States it became obvious that additional stripes could not continue to be added for each new state, as that would generate an overcrowded flag. In 1818, Congress determined that the flag should retain the original 13 stripes representative of the original colonies, while new stars would be added to represent new states as they entered the union. The final state to join the United States was Hawaii in 1959, and since that time our flag has featured 50 stars in the design with which most of us are familiar.
This brings us back to Flag Day, which we celebrate thanks to the vision of Wisconsin schoolteacher Bernard Cigrand, who imagined a nationwide event to honor the flag of the United States of America. Cigrand organized a Flag Day observance at his school in 1885 and began to advocate for a wider recognition of this important anniversary. In 1916, Woodrow Wilson proclaimed that the anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777 should become a nationally observed event, but a National Flag Day only became official in 1949, when Congress designated June 14 as the date of celebration.
How can we share this history with our children to undergird the importance of the unifying symbol that is the American flag? Countless opportunities exist, which are only limited by our imagination. You might consider flying a flag outside your own home and talking to your children about why you have chosen to do so. You can teach them flag etiquette, which is the proper way to handle the flag when it is being carried or raised and lowered. Learning the proper way to fold a flag can provide a hands-on experience in which we can demonstrate the reverence fit for such a task. As a family, you can study the many transitions the flag has undergone since its inception. Begin to notice the flags flown in your community—particularly related to government buildings—and talk about the difference between a flag flown at full-mast and half-mast. Engaging in casual conversations and serving as living examples for our children are often the primary means by which we pass cultural traditions from one generation to the next, and discussing a symbol of our nation, like the flag, creates a great opportunity for such things.
Many books have been written that connect our children in an engaging manner to the American flag’s symbolism and history. Picture books such as the Little Golden Book classic “Our Flag” by Carl Memling and “Flags over America” by Cheryl Harness are two examples, while a longer text like “The Story of the American Flag” by Wayne Whipple is something that can be incorporated into a child’s history studies.
These are just a few ideas we can use to instill a sense of reverence for the flag in our children, and restore it to its rightful place in our culture as a unifying symbol of national pride. Let’s reclaim the oft unrecognized Flag Day celebration this year, and commit to learning the history of this national symbol and educating our youth regarding the greatness that it represents.
