Jim Bratten
Tomorrow, June 14, is Flag Day, the day our nation celebrates the birth of the “Stars and Stripes,” our national banner.
During the War for Independence, the Marine Committee of the Second Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, decided upon the elements for our national flag. On June 14, 1777 they officially adopted what we now know as the Stars and Stripes: “Resolved, that the Flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the Union be thirteen stars, white on a blue field, representing a new constellation.”
But those were the only instructions on the appearance of the flag in 1777; stars and stripes representing the number of states and the colors, red, white and blue. Some flags had six-pointed stars in the union and some were arranged in different patterns. The most recognizable was the “Betsy Ross” flag, with thirteen five-pointed stars arranged in a circle and thirteen horizontal, alternating white and red stripes.
Most famous was the huge “Star Spangled Banner” flag flown over Fort McHenry during its bombardment in Baltimore Harbor during the War of 1812, with 15 stars and 15 stripes representing the 15 states at that time. As the spirit of the Star Spangled Banner and its anthem written by Francis Scott Key spread, the flag became a respected symbol of our sovereignty as a new nation.
Henry Ward Beecher wrote: “A thoughtful mind when it sees a nation’s flag, sees not the flag, but the nation itself… he reads chiefly in the flag, the government, the principles, the truths, the history that belongs to the nation that sets it forth. The American flag has been a symbol of Liberty and men rejoiced in it.”
Always treat our Stars and Stripes with honor and respect and fly it proudly on June 14. It represents our land, our people and our heritage – and the sacrifice of those who perished under it to keep us free. Rejoice in it.
Hoosier Patriots, Inc. is an educational and organizational non-profit for restoration, preservation and defense of the Constitution. We provide conservative commentary on public policy and government action across a variety of issues concerning the well-being of the republic. For more information go to www.vc-tpp.org or subscribe to the newsletter at hpnw.jimb@gmail.com.
