Indeed, it has mirrored political tumult and changes closely throughout the history of the United States.
Much like Memorial Day, With Flag Day in between Independence Day had a slow start.
Memorial Day
Few know that Memorial Day originated during the Civil War era. First called Decoration Day, this day was set aside for veterans, families, and civilians to decorate the grave sites of soldiers and servicemen they wished to honor and remember. Believed to be established around 1868, Decoration Day was first suggested by a veteran fraternity, called the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR). Historical accounts state that GAR wanted a nationally observed holiday for veterans to attend ceremonies and remembrance services without losing a day’s wage.
It wasn’t until nearly 100 years later and long after World War I and II that legislation was passed to put uniformity around national holidays. In 1968, the “National Holiday Act” touched on a broad list of celebrated days and prompted national holiday observances to be on Mondays. This is when Decoration Day became Memorial Day. To give more credibility to the holiday, Congress deemed that Memorial Day would be set aside for all war veterans who had died, not only those from the Civil War. This distinction took a couple of years; therefore, Memorial Day didn’t become an official national holiday until 1971.
We celebrate Memorial Day by visiting grave sites, memorials and attending parades to honor the many military lives lost.
Independence Day
Following on the heels of Memorial Day is Independence Day or July 4th. Commonly associated with the military due to the military guns and cannons often fired on this day, Independence Day is not military affiliated. The shots often heard are gun salutes to represent the original thirteen founding colonies. Independence Day is the day the thirteen colonies (the United States) declared independence from Great Britain. More importantly, July 4, 1776 is the day the Declaration of Independence was signed.
Many speculate that the deaths of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams on July 4th, 1826 sparked a resurgence in the importance of the day. But, it took nearly another 50 years, in 1870, for the holiday to be officially recognized by Congress. This holiday is celebrated with picnics, fireworks, the American flag, and lots of family time & favorite BBQ recipes.
You probably know what the American flag looks like today.
But did you know that the design of the American flag has evolved over the years?
The flag of the United States of America has gone through 27 different iterations, and plays a big part in the lives of Americans and American culture. Here are some interesting and fun facts to know about the iconic Stars and Stripes. 9 Amazing Facts About The American Flag!.
It was adopted in 1777
Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes as the American flag on June 14, 1777. The first official version of the flag (1777) displayed 13 stripes and 13 stars, for the 13 original colonies.
More stars than stripes
For a while, the U.S. added stripes and stars to the flag when welcoming new states. When Kentucky and Vermont joined the union, the flag took on two more stars from the original, so that from 1795 to 1818, 15 stripes and 15 stars graced the flag. Anticipating a crowded field of stripes, lawmakers decided to honor each new state with a star, and leave the stripes at the original 13, after 1818.
It was designed by a high school student
The current flag, with 50 stars and 13 stripes, was designed in 1958 by 17-year-old high school student, Robert G. Heft, of Lancaster, Ohio
President Dwight D. Eisenhower chose his design out of 1,500 entries.
Red, white, and blue
The colors of the flag have important meanings. Red symbolizes hardiness and valor, white symbolizes purity and innocence, and blue represents vigilance, perseverance and justice.
Maintenance of the flag
If a flag can no longer be used or repaired, it must be destroyed in a respectful manner, such as by burning. It can be washed and dry cleaned if it gets dirty or if it touches the ground and is soiled.
Sleep-wake schedule
According to Federal flag laws and regulations, the flag should be displayed from sunrise to sunset, except during inclement weather. It may be displayed 24 hours a day as long as it’s “properly illuminated” while it’s dark out.
Presidential proclamations and laws authorize the display of the flag 24 hours a day at the following places:
- Fort McHenry, National Monument and Historic Shrine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Flag House Square, Baltimore, Maryland.
- United States Marine Corps Memorial (Iwo Jima), Arlington, Virginia.
- On the Green of the Town of Lexington, Massachusetts.
- The White House, Washington, D.C.
- United States customs ports of entry.
- Grounds of the National Memorial Arch in Valley Forge State Park, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.
Neil Armstrong Buzz Aldrin Place American Flag On The Moon.
In July 1969, Neil Armstrong placed the first U.S. flag on the moon, as part of the Apollo 11 mission, the first manned landing. Five more Apollo moon landings—from missions 12, 14, 15, 16, and 17—resulted in five more flags being planted on the surface of the moon.
The proper way to view a flag on display during a parade or review (except for people in uniform) is by facing the flag with your right hand over your heart, according to Federal flag laws and regulations. The same goes for when you witness the flag being raised or lowered as part of a ceremony.
Old Glory was the nickname of a specific U.S. Flag — that owned by sea captain William Driver. He was given the flag by his mother and other women in his hometown of Salem. He named it Old Glory upon seeing it flying on his ship’s mast in 1831, and continued to display it outside his home. The name later went on to become synonymous with any American flag
Who made the American flag? | Myth Stories
Betsy Ross is widely credited with designing the first American flag, but there is almost no evidence to support that claim. It’s true that she sewed a lot of flags. However, the fact that she created the first American flag is supported only by records from her own grandson in 1870, almost 100 years after the flag debuted, when he presented the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia with affidavits from his own family members as evidence.
Flag Day
The first American flag design was approved by Congress on June 14, 1777. It had 13 stripes, which represented the original 13 colonies of the United States. On May 30, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a presidential proclamation establishing Flag Day as the anniversary of the Flag Resolution. On August 3, 1949, President Truman signed an Act of Congress that designated June 14 of each year as National Flag Day.
But as the USA rapidly expanded after the colonial period, and as new states were added, the flag had to evolve along with the changing composition of the country. Between 1777 and 1960, Congress passed multiple acts that changed the design of the flag to reflect new realities as new states were admitted.
It was too cluttered to add new stripes for every state, so it was decided that the number of stripes would stay the same—13 for the 13 original colonies. The new states would be reflected in the number of stars in the box in the top left corner of the flag.
During the Civil War, the states of the Confederacy stopped flying the American flag and instead designed and flew their own flag, the Confederate Battle Flag.
And did you know that there is a significance to the American colors used in the flag? Red represents hardiness and valor, while white stands for purity and blue for perseverance and justice.
The flag has inspired not only much controversy but also artists, from Jasper Johns to Francis Scott Key, who composed the famous “Star Spangled Banner” after watching the huge 1814 garrison flag survive the shelling of Fort McHenry by the British, which went on for over 24 hours. The flag that inspired Key’s song is under intensive conservation efforts by the National Museum of American History to preserve it.
Americans have also taken their flag abroad and, famously, to outer space; in 1969, Neil Armstrong placed the American flag on the moon. Barry Bishop set the flag on the top of Mt. Everest in 1963, and Robert Peary put it on the North Pole in 1909.
The flag is usually lowered at sunset and often to half-mast when a beloved public figure dies. But there are a few places where the flag always flutters, including the United States Marine Corps War Memorial (better known as the Iwo Jima Memorial) in Arlington, Virginia, and the White House.
So, the next time you see the flag, stop and consider how much history it represents.
Wild turkey versus Bald eagle …
For such a seemingly simple bird, the turkey carries with it some surprisingly heavy symbolic baggage. The turkey is undeniably tied with the American experience. It’s the bird most Americans readily associate with Thanksgiving and Christmas; both holidays when families travel across the country to gather around the table and share.
What might be somewhat surprising for those who haven’t heard is that the founding father Benjamin Franklin supposedly wanted the turkey to be the national symbol of the United States of America. According to the popular legend, Franklin advocated for the turkey instead of the Bald Eagle but was unable to convince others of adopting the humble bird as the national symbol.
So, is this myth about Benjamin Franklin and the turkey true? It seems that the answer lies with an oversimplification of words in a letter that Franklin once wrote to his daughter, Sarah. In this letter, Franklin suggests that the bald eagle is “of bad moral character,” and that the country would be much better served by the turkey as its symbol.
Here is the portion of the letter, provided by The Franklin Institute’s website.“For my own part I wish the Eagle had not been chosen the representative of our country. He is a bird of bad moral character. He does not get his Living honestly. You may have seen him perched on some dead tree near the river, where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the labor of the Fishing Hawk; and when that diligent Bird has at length taken a fish, and is bearing it to his nest for the support of his mate and young ones, the Eagle pursues him and takes it from him.
With all this injustice, he is never in a good situation but like those among men who live by sharpening & robbing he is generally poor and often very lousy. Besides he is a rank coward: The little King Bird not bigger than a Sparrow attacks him boldly and drives him out of the district. He is therefore by no means a proper emblem for the brave and honest Cincinnati of America who have driven all the King birds from our country…
I am on this account not displeased that the figure is not known as an Eagle, but looks more like a Turkey. For the truth the Turkey is in comparison a much more respectable bird, and with a true original native of America . . . He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a bird of courage, and would not hesitate to attack a grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his farm yard with a red coat on.”
Ben Franklin’s Other Ideas
His 1775 letter in the Pennsylvania Journal made a good case for the Rattlesnake as an appropriate symbol of “the temper and conduct of America.”
In 1776, Franklin’s official suggestion while on the first Great Seal committee was an historic scene with Moses and Pharaoh, which that committee recommended for the reverse side of the Great Seal.
Three other kinds of birds were suggested by William Barton of the third committee: a rooster, a dove, and a “phoenix in flames.”
“Because of their size, bald eagles are not concerned about threats from other birds. However, eagles are often chased by smaller birds, who are trying to protect their young. . . It was Benjamin Franklin’s observations of a bald eagle either ignoring or retreating from such mobbing that probably led to his claim of the bald eagle’s lack of courage.” ( American Bald Eagle Information)
From context, it seems clear that Franklin wasn’t making a joke.
Instead of making an actual suggestion, he was merely pointing out that in his mind, the eagle symbol looked like a turkey, joking that the turkey would be a more suitable bird anyway. Bald Eagle or Wild Turkey?
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