Download Flag Day Is June 14 - Las Cruces Public Schools

News Release
Immediate Release
June 6, 2014
Contact: Mike Cook, Coordinator for Communications and Technical Writing
575.527.5934 [email protected] www.lcps.k12.nm.us
June 14 Is Flag Day
"Resolved, that the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that
the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field representing a new constellation."
--Marine Committee of the Second Continental Congress, June 14, 1777
Left: 13-star flag adopted as the official flag of the United States by the Continental Congress June 14, 1777. Right: 50-star flag that
became official when Hawaii joined the Union as the 50th state August 21, 1959.
LAS CRUCES – Saturday, June 14, 2014 is Flag Day. The Stars and Stripes was adopted as the
official flag of the United States by the Continental Congress June 14, 1777 – 237 years ago
this year. Flag Day, as you will read below, has been celebrated annually since 1885.
How to Observe Flag Day
From www.united-states-flag.com/flag-day-history: “The week of June 14 is designated as
"National Flag Week." During National Flag Week, the president will issue a proclamation
urging U.S. citizens to fly the American flag for the duration of that week. The flag should also
be displayed on all Government buildings. It’s also a time to remember and honor military men
and women who defend our flag and our country.”
The Pledge of Allegiance
The Pledge of Allegiance of the United States was composed by Francis Bellamy in 1892 and
formally adopted by the United States Congress in 1942. The Pledge has been modified four
times since its composition, with the most recent change adding the words "under God" in 1954.
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for
which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
According to usflag.org:
“The idea of an annual day specifically celebrating the flag is believed to have first
originated in 1885. B.J. Cigrand, a school
teacher, arranged for the pupils in the
Fredonia, Wisconsin Public School,
District 6, to observe June 14 (the 108th
anniversary of the official adoption of
The Stars and Stripes) as 'Flag Birthday'.
In numerous magazines and newspaper
articles and public addresses over the
following years, Cigrand continued to
enthusiastically advocate the observance
of June 14 as 'Flag Birthday', or 'Flag
Day'.
(Cigrand, who lived from 1866 to
1932, practiced dentistry in Chicago and
was the third dean of the University of
Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry,
serving in that post from 1903 to 1906.
From: William S. Bike, University of
Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry .)
“Inspired by these three decades of
state and local celebrations, Flag Day, the
anniversary of the Flag Resolution of
Did You Know?
Ironically, the symbolism of the three colors found
in the United States flag is set forth, not in the
various resolutions authorizing the flag, but in a
report Secretary of the Congress Charles Thompson
wrote to define the Seal of our Nation. In that
report he, stated:
"The colors of the pales (the vertical stripes on
the shield of the eagle) are those used in the flag of
the United States of America; WHITE signifies
purity and innocence, RED, hardiness & valour, and
BLUE, the color of the Chief*, signifies vigilance,
perseverance & Justice." (*The Chief is the blue
band at the top of the shield.)
On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress
passed a resolution authorizing a committee to
devise a seal for the United States of America. This
mission, designed to reflect the Founding Fathers'
beliefs, values, and sovereignty of the new Nation,
did not become a reality until June 20, 1782. In
heraldic devices, such as seals, each element has a
specific meaning.
From www.homeofheroes.com/hallofheroes/1st_floor/flag/1bfa_hist2.html
1777, was officially established by the
proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson on May 30, 1916. While Flag Day was celebrated
in various communities for years after Wilson's proclamation, it was not until August 3, 1949
that President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14 as National Flag Day.”
The Continental Congress adopted The Stars and Stripes as the national flag on June 14,
Here is the resolution that was adopted: “Resolved: that the flag of the United States be thirteen
stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field,
representing a new constellation.” The stars on the first flag represented Delaware,
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina,
New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, North Carolina, and Rhode Island. (Two stars were added
to the flag in 1912, when New Mexico and Arizona became the 47th and 48th states.)
As everyone knows, American lore says Elizabeth Griscom “Betsy” Ross (1752-1836)
sewed the first American flag at the request of George Washington. The
50-star flag was designed by Robert G. Heft, onetime mayor of Napoleon,
Ohio. As the addition of Alaska and Hawaii to the union was being
The flag of Delaware, one
of the original 13 colonies.
On December 7, 1787,
Delaware became the first
state to ratify the
Constitution of the United
States, making it “the First
State.”
contemplated in 1958 (which would bring to 50 the number of states in the
union and stars on the flag), Heft began designing the new flag as a school
project when he was a 17-year-old high school junior in Lancaster, Ohio.
“Heft arranged the 50 stars in five rows of six stars alternating with
four rows of five stars. His teacher, Stanley Pratt, gave him a B minus on
the project. ‘He said it lacked originality,’ Heft said. Pratt said he would
give Heft a higher grade if he could get Congress to accept the design. Heft
The flag of New Mexico,
which became the 47th
state January 6, 1912.
took on the challenge and sent his flag to his congressman, U.S. Rep.
Walter Moeller, D-Ohio, who eventually got Heft's design accepted,” also
according to usflag.org.
According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_G._Heft, Pratt kept
his word, raising Heft’s flag-project grade to an “A.” Heft is now a retired
The flag of Hawaii, which
became the 50th state
August 21, 1959.
teacher and real estate broker. He travels across the U.S. talking about the
flag.
Flag Day, 1917
"This flag, which we honor and under which we serve, is the emblem of our unity, our power,
our thought and purpose as a nation. It has no other character than that which we give it from
generation to generation. The choices are ours. It floats in majestic silence above the hosts that
execute those choices, whether in peace or in war. And yet, though silent, it speaks to us -speaks to us of the past, of the men and women who went before us, and of the records they
wrote upon it.
"We celebrate the day of its birth; and from its birth until now it has witnessed a great
history, has floated on high the symbol of great events, of a great plan of life worked out by
great people....
"Woe be to the man or group of men that seeks to stand in our way in this day of high
resolution when every principle we hold dearest is to be vindicated and made secure for the
salvation of the nation. We are ready to plead at the bar of history, and our flag shall wear a
new luster. Once more we shall make good with our lives and fortunes the great faith to which
we were born, and a new glory shall shine in the face of our people."
-- President Woodrow Wilson on Flag Day in 1917
History of the Pledge of Allegiance
Official versions (changes in bold italics)
1892
"I pledge allegiance to my flag and the republic for which it stands: one nation indivisible with liberty
and justice for all."
1892 to 1923
"I pledge allegiance to my flag and to the republic for which it stands: one nation indivisible with liberty
and justice for all."
1923 to 1924
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States and to the republic for which it stands: one nation
indivisible with liberty and justice for all."
1924 to 1954
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands;
one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all."
1954 to Present
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands,
one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."