Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
The history of the U.S. flag is something not often talked about. If questioned not many people could even tell you how it came to be. With President’s Day coming up I believe we should celebrate it by learning the history of our nation's flag. Here are some things I didn’t know until I decided to start researching and learning more about the U.S. flag.
• On June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress passed the Flag Resolution. The flag resolution stated that the flag of the thirteen United States must have thirteen total white and red alternating stripes and thirteen white stars on a blue background to represent a new constellation.
• In 1795, the number of stars and stripes was increased from 13 to 15 (to reflect the entry of Vermont and Kentucky as states of the Union). For a time the flag was not changed when subsequent states were admitted, probably because it was thought that this would cause too much clutter.
• On April 4, 1818 a plan was passed by Congress in which the flag was changed to have 20 stars, with a new star to be added when each new state was admitted, but the number of stripes would be reduced to 13 so as to honor the original colonies.
• The current U.S. flag containing fifty stars has been in use since July 4, 1960. That is the date Hawaii officially became a state.
• Nicknames for the flag include the Stars and Stripes, Old Glory, and the Star-Spangled Banner.
President’s day is a day to celebrate the true beginning of our country. It is the day of our first president, George Washington’s birthday. He was a huge part of the making of the thirteen original colonies and assigning the countries flag. What better way is there to celebrate the day then by learning all about the flag and how the flag became what it is today? Or maybe even shopping online for a flag if you don't already own one at Flags Unlimited. I hope everyone reading this takes time on President's Day to learn about our nation's flag. Doing so would show honor not only to our first president and our country, but also every president that's been in office since then. The United States flag is an important part of our history we should all take time to learn about.
Article co-written by Madison & Stacy Tilton
