Flag Day, June 14, is now an official holiday and tradition of the USA Flag symbol which was started in the 1800s by children in elementary schools.
Fourth of July is a popular USA holiday where people take extended weekend vacations in the summer months and gather together in local communities to participate in parades, picnics, and fireworks to celebrate the birth of USA.
A not so well known holiday celebration is, Flag Day, June 14, in United States. People shower USA with flags on the fronts of businesses and homes to celebrate the USA flag, which was adopted by the Continental Congress in 1777. In some cities, there are traditions to give children small flags to carry with them throughout the day.
The USA flag is a symbol to remind people of the history, national pride, and independence of USA. The American Flag is even celebrated through the words of the National Anthem, the “Star Spangled Banner.”
It is with respect which Americans follow certain rules when they display their flags:
- It is to be flown during daylight and when it is not raining.
- The flag should never be dipped or flown upside down.
- It is not be used for advertising purposes.
- When lowered to be put away, no part of the flag should touch the ground, it should be received by waiting hands and arms, and folded in a ceremoniously way.
- It should be cleaned and mended.
President Truman signed the official “Act of Congress” on August 3, 1949 appointing June 14th of each year as National Flag Day after Woodrow Wilson officially set up the Proclamation on May 30th, 1916 declaring this anniversary of the 1777 resolution to the American flag.
Children First Celebrated USA Flags in Elementary Schools
Children in elementary schools played a significant role in celebrating the USA flag in the late 1880’s when BJ Cigrand arranged a celebration for the children in his classroom in Wisconsin to recognize this anniversary of the flag. Geogre Balch arranged ceremonies for kindergarten children in New York City which was recognized later by the State Board of Education in New York and Pennsylvania.
Leroy Van Horn, together with Cigrand formed the American Flag Day Association and were successful in assembling the celebration for 300,000 children through Chicago in Douglas, Garfield, Humboldt, Lincoln, and Washington Parks honoring the USA flag.
Ted Roosevelt’s Story of the Flag
A story from 1908 passed down through generations is that, on June 14, Theodore Roosevelt saw a man wiping his nose on what he believed was the USA Flag. He quickly walked over and started hitting the man with a small wooden stick. He then realized the man was using a blue hankerchief with white stars to wipe his nose. Roosevelt was quick to apologize for his behavior, although struck him one more time because he had become “riled up with national pride” with this similarity the cloth had to the flag.
Soon after this incident, in 1914, Secretary of Interior, Franklin K. Lane, delivered a speech 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.”
The USA Flag is a symbol which is rich in history and traditions of American people and is celebrated on June 14 every year throughout local communities across the USA.