WHAT IS THE MEANING OF FLAG DAY? CELEBRATING THE STARS AND STRIPES


By kbarber
American Flag

What is the meaning of Flag Day? Old Glory is always a sight for sore eyes on the horizon. No matter the grievances you may have with the country, you’ve gotta admit that the stars and stripes inspire patriotism and pride for this great nation. This is what Flag Day represents, but on a more literal level, it’s a celebration of the day that the stars and stripes were officially adopted as the U.S. flag.

What Is the Meaning of Flag Day and Why Do We Celebrate It?

Outwardly, the meaning of Flag Day is really simple. When we celebrate Flag Day, we’re celebrating the appointment of the flag we all know and love (albeit with a few new stars) as the country’s official symbol. The flag represents a lot more than just our unification as a nation. On Flag Day, we’re also celebrating the struggle and strife, battles and bloodshed that went into the creation of this amazing country, allowing us to have a unified nation for a flag to represent in the first place. The American flag, for most of us, represents comfort, freedom, and, perhaps most of all, home. Why wouldn’t we celebrate a thing like that?

The History of Flag Day

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“...the flag of the United States be 13 stripes, alternate red and white… [and] the union be 13 stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.”

Given that information, can you guess what day is Flag Day on? To commemorate the creation of the flag, Woodrow Wilson passed an official decree in 1916 that June 14 be celebrated each year as Flag Day.

The History of the American Flag

How did the American flag come to be? Embarrassingly, many Americans don’t know the origins of the American flag. Some simply throw out the name “Betsy Ross” and call it a day. When asking the question, “What is the meaning of Flag Day?” it’s important to know its actual origins. The real story probably isn’t the same as the one you were taught in primary school, and we’re here to enlighten you. After all, the history of Flag Day is nothing without the history of the American flag itself! Contrary to popular belief, there is no credible evidence to suggest that Betsy Ross actually made the first American flag, and she sure didn’t ideate the design, either. As a matter of fact, history isn’t quite sure who came up with the first design for the flag, but many theories are out there. The leading theory is that a man named Francis Hopkinson designed the original flag. Hopkinson was a delegate from New Jersey who was one of the 56 people (including one woman) to sign the Declaration of Independence. The proof? A sole remaining bill was sent to Congress stating that they owed him two casks of ale for designing the American flag. The bill doesn’t include sketches, descriptions, or an official image of the flag, so the proof is flimsy at best; however, flimsy is about all that side of history has to offer us. Thankfully, we do know who designed the 50-star American flag. A boy named Bob Heft created the 50-star flag in 1958 as a history project during his junior year. At the time, only 48 states were officially part of the U.S., but he had a hunch that two more states would be adopted. He was right, of course, as Hawaii and Alaska became official states the next year.

What Do the Stars and Stripes Mean?

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Forever in Peace May You Wave

Though not official, some have taken to creating a brand new 51-star American flag. This new American flag design with 51 stars could be a reality if D.C. or Puerto Rico gain statehood. We don’t see this happening any time soon, though, as measures in previous years have already been met with staunch opposition. No matter how it looks or where it’s waving, the American flag is the perfect symbol to represent our country. Now, you tell us, what is the meaning of Flag Day? More like this:20 4th of July Quotes To Get You Pumped for Independence Day

Image: ⒸKen Anderson


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