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The History Of Flag Day
The Fourth of July was traditionally celebrated as America's birthday, but the idea of an
annual day specifically celebrating the Flag is believed to have first originated in 1885. BJ Cigrand, a schoolteacher, arranged
for the pupils in the Fredonia, Wisconsin Public School, District 6, to observe June 14 (the 108th anniversary of the official
adoption of The Stars and Stripes) as 'Flag Birthday'. In numerous magazines and newspaper articles and public addresses over
the following years, Cigrand continued to enthusiastically advocate the observance of June 14 as 'Flag Birthday', or 'Flag
Day'.
On June 14, 1889, George Balch, a kindergarten teacher in New York City, planned appropriate ceremonies for
the children of his school, and his idea of observing Flag Day was later adopted by the State Board of Education of New York.
On June 14, 1891, the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia held a Flag Day celebration, and on June 14 of the following year,
the New York Society of the Sons of the Revolution, celebrated Flag Day.
Following the suggestion of Colonel J Granville
Leach (at the time historian of the Pennsylvania Society of the Sons of the Revolution), the Pennsylvania Society of Colonial
Dames of America on April 25, 1893 adopted a resolution requesting the mayor of Philadelphia and all others in authority and
all private citizens to display the Flag on June 14th. Leach went on to recommend that thereafter the day be known as 'Flag
Day', and on that day, school children be assembled for appropriate exercises, with each child being given a small Flag.
Two weeks later on May 8th, the Board of Managers of the Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution unanimously
endorsed the action of the Pennsylvania Society of Colonial Dames. As a result of the resolution, Dr. Edward Brooks, then
Superintendent of Public Schools of Philadelphia, directed that Flag Day exercises be held on June 14, 1893 in Independence
Square. School children were assembled, each carrying a small Flag, and patriotic songs were sung and addresses delivered.
In 1894, the governor of New York directed that on June 14 the Flag be displayed on all public buildings. With BJ
Cigrand and Leroy Van Horn as the moving spirits, the Illinois organization, known as the American Flag Day Association, was
organized for the purpose of promoting the holding of Flag Day exercises. On June 14th, 1894, under the auspices of this association,
the first general public school children's celebration of Flag Day in Chicago was held in Douglas, Garfield, Humboldt, Lincoln,
and Washington Parks, with more than 300,000 children participating.
Adults, too, participated in patriotic programs.
Franklin K. Lane, Secretary if the Interior, delivered a 1914 Flag Day address in which he repeated words he said the flag
had spoken to him that morning: "I am what you make me; nothing more. I swing before your eyes as a bright gleam of color,
a symbol of yourself."
Inspired by these three decades of state and local celebrations, Flag Day - the anniversary
of the Flag Resolution of 1777 - was officially established by the Proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson on May 30th, 1916.
While Flag Day was celebrated in various communities for years after Wilson's proclamation, it was not until August 3rd, 1949,
that President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14th of each year as National Flag Day.
THE MEANING OF THE FLAG AND WHEN TO DISPLAY IT
THE MEANING OF THE AMERICAN FLAG
Americans, we honor and respect
our flag. It is protected by law. It is not the piece of cloth that our flag is made out of that we respect. It is what our
flag represents that is important and sacred.
1. WHITE STRIPES. The white stripes stand for purity. We, as a country,
want people to be honest in everything we do. We want the people of this country to do what is right, even if it is hard to
do.
2. RED STRIPES. The red stripes stand for courage. Many men and women have given their lives for this great country.
They did this willingly because they believed in freedom. It is because of their great courage that we have the freedom we
enjoy today.
3. BLUE SQUARE. The blue square stands for freedom. Freedom is very important. We want people to enjoy the
blessings of freedom. That means that no matter who you are, what you look like, or who you believe in, you have the right
to be treated like everyone else!
4. STARS. There are 50 stars on our flag today. They stand for the 50 states in the
United States of America.
5. YELLOW RIBBON. Today there is a new patriotic symbol of sorts that you often see displayed
with the American Flag. It is a yellow ribbon. The yellow ribbon is a reminder to each of us to support our country and the
people who serve it. It is a symbol of hope for a safe return of servicemen when they are away.
WHEN TO
DISPLAY THE FLAG
The flag of the United States should be flown every day when weather permits. If made of weather resistant
material it can be flown around the clock in any weather if properly illuminated.
It should be flown especially on
the following days:
New Years Day, January 1
Inauguration Day, January 20
Lincolns Birthday, February 12
Washingtons
Birthday, February 22
Presidents Day, third Monday in February
Easter Sunday, (variable)
Mothers Day, second
Sunday in May
Armed Forces Day, third Sunday in May
Memorial Day, May 30
Observed Memorial Day, last Monday
in May
Flag Day, June 14
Fathers Day, third Sunday in June
Independence Day, July 4
Labor Day, first Monday
in September
Constitution Day, September 17
Columbus Day, October 12
Discoverers Day, second Monday in October
Navy Day, October 27
Marine Corps Birthday, November 10
Veterans Day, November 11
Thanksgiving Day, fourth
Thursday in November
Christmas Day, December 25
And such other days as may be proclaimed by the President of the
United States and on State holidays.
THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the
United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice
for all."
Francis Bellamy, the author of these words, was an ordained minister, magazine writer, and Freemason who
stated that his aim was to say "what our republic meant and what was the underlying spirit of its life." Bellamy
wrote the Pledge of Allegiance in 1892 as part of the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America by Columbus. It was embraced
by the nation and almost immediately became a part of the school-day ritual. Bellamy's original text has been altered twice.
In 1923, the words "the flag of the United States of America" were substituted for the words "my flag".
Congress officially recognized the Pledge in 1942 and added the words "under God" in 1954.
SONGS & ACTIVITIES
YOU'RE A GRAND OLD FLAG
You're a grand old flag, You're a high flying flag
And forever
in peace may you wave.
You're the emblem of _ the land I love
The home of the free and the brave.
Ev'ry heart
beats true 'neath the Red, White and Blue,
Where there's never a boast or brag.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
Keep your eye on the grand old flag.
You're a grand old flag, You're a high flying flag
And forever in peace
may you wave.
You're the emblem of The land I love
The home of the free and the brave.
Ev'ry heart beats true
'neath the Red, White and Blue,
Where there's never a boast or brag.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
Keep
your eye on the grand old flag.
STAR SPANGLED BANNER
O! say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What
so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming:
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming,
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave
proof through the night that our flag was still there;
O! say, does that Star-spangled Banner still wave
O'er
the land of the free and the home of the brave!
FLAG FOLDING CEREMONY
HOW TO FOLD THE FLAG
TRIVIA & POETRY
1. How many stripes does the U.S. Flag have?
a. 27 b. 13 c. 48 d. none
2. How many
stars does the U.S. Flag have?
a. 50 b. 25 c. 13 d. 48
3. When do we celebrate Flag Day?
a. Easter b. December
25 c. July 4 d. June 14
4. How old is the U.S. Flag?
a. 100 years b. 200 years c. 223 years d. 500 years
5. What answer below is NOT another name for the U.S. Flag?
a. Stars and Stripes
b. Old Glory
c. Star Spangled
Banner
d. Old Ironside
6. Who wrote the words for the Star Spangled Banner?
a. Francis Scott Key
b. Elton
John
c. George Washington
d. George Gershwin
ANSWERS
(1) b. 13 (2) a. 50 (3) d. June 14 (4) c. 223 years
(5) d. Old Ironside (6) a. Francis Scott Key
FLAG QUIZ
1. How-big was the Star-Spangled Banner that
flew over Fort McHenry in 1814?
a. 40' x 64'
b. 60' x 72'
c. 30' x 42'
2. Who was called "The Father
of Flag Day?"
a. George Washington
b. Bernard J. Cigrand
c. Thomas Jefferson
3. Who cut up the
American flag and was honored for doing it?
a. Neal Armstrong left pieces of the flag on the moon
b. Barbara Frietchie
draped civil war victims with Portions of the flag
c. Robert E. Peary left Pieces of the flag in five places at the North
Pole
4. How big is the world's largest flag, and who made it?
a. 104 feet high and 235 feet long and was made
by six women in Hawaii
b. 210 feet high and 411 feet long and was made by Anchor industries in Evansville, Indiana
c.
300 feet high and 600 feet lone and was made by Succor Productions in Michigan
5. Who made the Star-Spangled Banner
and where?
a. Mary Pickersgill in Baltimore, Maryland
b. Peter Hercules Wendover in New York City
c. Archibald
Williard in Ohio
6. Who first called our Flag, "Old Glory?"
a. Francis Bellamy
b. William Driver
c. Francis Scott Key
7. Who wrote the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag?
a. Francis Scott Key
b. Francis
Bellamy
c. Paul Fannin
8. When should the flag be displayed?
a. Every day
b. On National and State
Holidays
c. When an official dies
9. What is done with worn or outdated flags?
a. Used until worn out,
and then burned
b. Used until worn out, and then buried with an official
c. Used until worn out, and then shredded
10. What is the only flag that can be flown above the Stars and Stripes?
a. State Flags
b. The Church Pennant
c. The original Stars and Stripes
11. When did the Continental Congress pass a resolution which established
the flag?
a. 1819
b. 1903
c. 1777
12. Where was Francis Scott Key when he wrote the Star Spangled Banner?
a. Iwo Jima
b. Baltimore Harbor, Maryland
c. Washington D.C.
13. Did Francis Scott Key write the music
as well as the words to The Star Spangled Banner?
a. Yes
b. No
14. What two words were added to the Pledge?
a. Under God
b. with liberty
c. the Republic
15. What state passed the first "Flag Salute"
statute and when?
a. New York State in 1898
b. New York State in 1870
c. Virginia in 1890
ANSWERS
1-c,2-b,3-c,4-b,5-a,6-b,7-b,8-b,9-a,10-b,11-c,12-b,13-b,14-a,15-a
I AM THE FLAG- by Ruth Apperson Rous
I am the flag of the United States of America. I was born on June 14, 1777,
in Philadelphia. There the Continental Congress adopted my stars and stripes as the national flag. My thirteen stripes alternating
red and white, with a union of thirteen white stars in a field of blue, represented a new constellation, a new nation dedicated
to the personal and religious liberty of mankind. Today fifty stars signal from my union, one for each of the fifty sovereign
states in the greatest constitutional republic the world has ever known. My colors symbolize the patriotic ideals and spiritual
qualities of the citizens of my country. My red stripes proclaim the fearless courage and integrity of American men and boys
and the self-sacrifice and devotion of American mothers and daughters. My white stripes stand for liberty and equality for
all. My blue is the blue of heaven, loyalty, and faith. I represent these eternal principles: liberty, justice, and humanity.
I embody American freedom: freedom of speech, religion, assembly, the press, and the sanctity of the home. I typify that indomitable
spirit of determination brought to my land by Christopher Columbus and by all my forefathers - the Pilgrims, Puritans, settlers
at James town and Plymouth. I am as old as my nation. I am a living symbol of my nation's law: the Constitution of the United
States and the Bill of Rights. I voice Abraham Lincoln's philosophy: "A government of the people, by the people,for the
people." I stand guard over my nation's schools, the seedbed of good citizenship and true patriotism. I am displayed
in every schoolroom throughout my nation; every schoolyard has a flag pole for my display. Daily thousands upon thousands
of boys and girls pledge their allegiance to me and my country. I have my own lawPublic Law 829, "The Flag Code"
- which definitely states my correct use and display for all occasions and situations. I have my special day, Flag Day. June
14 is set aside to honor my birth. Americans, I am the sacred emblem of your country. I symbolize your birthright, your heritage
of liberty purchased with blood and sorrow. I am your title deed of freedom, which is yours to enjoy and hold in trust for
posterity. If you fail to keep this sacred trust inviolate, if I am nullified and destroyed, you and your children will become
slaves to dictators and despots. Eternal vigilance is your price of freedom. As you see me silhouetted against the peaceful
skies of my country, remind yourself that I am the flag of your country, that I stand for what you are - no more, no less.
Guard me well, lest your freedom perish from the earth. Dedicate your lives to those principles for which I stand: "One
nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." I was created in freedom. I made my first appearance
in a battle for human liberty. God grant that I may spend eternity in my "land of the free and the home of the brave"
and that I shall ever be known as "Old Glory," the flag of the United States of America.
RECIPES
CHERRY OR BLUEBERRY TOPPED ICE BOX CAKE
20 Whole graham crackers
2 c Cold milk
1 pk Vanilla
or Chocolate Instant
Pudding/Pie Filling
1 3/4 c Thawed non dairy whipped
Topping
2 cn (21 oz each) cherry
or blue
Berry pie filling
Line 13 x 9 inch pan with some of the graham crackers, breaking crackers if necessary.
Pour cold milk into bowl. Add pudding mix. With electric mixer at low speed, beat until well blended, 1 to 2 mins. Let
stand 5 min, then blend in non dairy whipped topping.
Spread half of the pudding mixture over crackers.
Add another
layer of crackers.
Top with remaining pudding mixture and remaining crackers.
Spread pie filling over crackers. Chill
cake for about 3 hours before serving.
AMERICAN FLAG COOKIES
1 c Margarine
1 Egg white -- whipped
2
ts Pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 c Unbleached flour
1 1/2 c Sugar
1 1/2 ts Baking powder
1 ts Red food coloring
1 ts Blue food coloring
Preheat oven to 350.
In a mixing bowl, combine margarine, egg white, and vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, and baking powder. Mix wet ingredients with dry until just moistened.
Divide
cookie dough into three equal portions.
Tint 1 portion with the red food coloring; and another portion with the blue food
coloring. Mix throughly
Form each portion into long bars.and stack bars on top of each other using alternating colors
(red, white, blue).
Wrap finished cookies in waxed paper and place in the refrigerator for about an hour.
Cut cookies
into 1/4" thick bars. Place on greased baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
SUMMER DELIGHT PUNCH
6 oz Can frozen lemonade
6 oz Can frozen orange juice
2 1/2 c Pineapple juice
12 oz Can apricot or peach
nectar
1 ea Bottle ginger ale, (2 litre)
1 ea Lemon, sliced
Mix together the lemonade, orange juice, pineapple
juice, and nectar and chill.
When ready to serve drinks, add the ginger ale. Garnish with lemon slices.
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