Every June 14 in the United States, we celebrate Flag Day. It’s because, on that date in 1777, the Second Continental Congress officially adopted the American Flag as America’s national symbol. The origin of the first American flag is unknown.
The flag of the United States is one of the oldest national standards in the world. Several flags were used in 1776 and 1777, Congress established an official design on June 14, 1777: that the flag of the 13 United States include 13 stripes, alternate red and white, that the union be thirteen white stars in a blue field.
George Washington explained it this way; “We take the stars from heaven, the red from our mother country, separating it by white stripes, thus showing that we have separated from her, and the white stripes shall go down to posterity representing liberty”.
Between 1777 and 1960, Congress passed several acts that changed the shape, design, and arrangement of the flag and allowed for additional stars and stripes to be added to reflect the admission of each new state: *Act of January 13, 1794, provided for 15 stripes and 15 stars.
*Act of April 4, 1818, provided for 13 stripes and one star for each state.
*Executive Order of President Taft, June 24, 1912, established proportions of the flag and provided for arrangement of the stars in horizontal rows of eight each, as single point of each star to be upward.
*Executive Order of President Eisenhower, January 3, 1959, provided for the new flag with 50 stars and 13 stripes, our current and longest flag design in use.
Color Symbolism; Red, symbolizes Hardiness and Valor, White, symbolizes Purity and Innocence, Blue, represents Vigilance, Perseverance and Justice.
Flag customs include;
*Displaying the flag from Sunrise to Sunset, and at night only if property lighted. *The flag should be raised and lowed by hand. Always raise briskly and lower it ceremoniously.
*The flag may be displayed on any day, but especially on national holidays.
*Salute the flag when is passes by in a parade, during the Pledge of Allegiance, National Anthem and in ceremony rising and lowering, by placing the right hand over the heart; Veterans and currently serving, by hand salute.
*The flag should Never be allowed to touch the ground, nor used as drapery, or displayed with the union down except as a signal of distress in instances of extreme danger.