Flag Day 1940
Friday, June 14We take the stars from heaven, the red from our mother country, separating it by white stripes, thus showing that we have separated from her, and the white stripes shall go down to posterity representing liberty.
George WashingtonFlag Day, also known as National Flag Day, is a revered holiday in the United States that commemorates the adoption of the national flag. This momentous day is celebrated annually on June 14th, which marks the date in 1777 when Congress approved the design for the first national flag.
The inception of Flag Day as a holiday can be traced back to 1855 when a schoolteacher named Bernard J. Cigrand proposed the idea of honoring the national flag with a special day. Over the years, Cigrand's passion for this cause spread, and the idea gradually gained momentum across the country.
In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation that officially recognized June 14th as Flag Day. This act of recognition elevated the importance of the holiday and gave it national recognition.
Nearly three decades later, in August of 1949, National Flag Day was established by an Act of Congress. The Act recognized the significance of the American flag as a symbol of freedom, democracy, and national unity, and called upon citizens to honor the flag and the values it represents.
Today, Flag Day remains an important day in American culture and history, as it reminds citizens of the sacrifices and struggles that went into creating and preserving the freedoms that are cherished by all Americans. It is a day to reflect on the values of the nation, to pay tribute to those who have served and continue to serve, and to celebrate the unity that defines the United States.