June 14th (which falls on Friday this year) has been designated as Flag Day by Presidential Proclamation ever since President Harry S. Truman signed it into law in 1949. Congress also signed legislation in 1966 asking the President to declare the week in which June 14th falls as National Flag Week.
What does the Presidential Proclamation include? It calls for all government officials to display the US Flag on all governmental offices on Flag Day and requests that all US residents observe Flag Day as the anniversary of the adoption of the Stars and Stripes by the Continental Congress as the official flag of the United States
Has the design of the American Flag ever changed? It sure has! Check out this page of US stamps that was issued by the USPS in 1999:
After originating with 13 stars in a circle on a blue background in the upper left hand corner with 13 stripes alternating red and white, all representing a new Constellation; the flag was revised with the admission of new states to 15 stars and 15 stripes in 1794.
Then, in 1818, the number of stripes was returned to 13 permanently and the number of stars was revised to continue to reflect the admission of new states.
Subsequent orders (in 1912 and 1959) established the proportions of the flag plus the orientation and the configuration of the stars. All of the flags in the US
Check out this website for some amazing star configurations, including the Great Star Flag of 1837 and the 29 Star Flag in 1847:
Do you have a favorite nickname for our Nation’s flag? Consider these:
The Star-Spangled Banner Old Glory The Grand Old Flag The Stars and Bars The Red, White and Blue The Stars and Stripes ________________your favorite?
So, this week is the week to proudly fly your US Flag from sunrise to sunset in the spirit of freedom and human liberty!
No comments:
Post a Comment