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Suggestions for Announcements –
September 15th -19th
MONDAY: This Year is the 200th Anniversary of The Star Spangled Banner
During the War of 1812, on September 13, 1814, Francis Scott Key visited the British
fleet in Chesapeake Bay to secure the release of Dr. William Beanes, who had been
captured after the burning of Washington DC. The release was completed, but Key was
held by the British overnight during the shelling of Fort McHenry, one of the forts
defending Baltimore. In the morning, Key peered through clearing smoke to see an
enormous American flag flying proudly after a 25-hour British bombardment of Fort
McHenry. He was so delighted to see the flag still flying over the fort and that America
had stopped the invasion of the British that he wrote a poem about the event. This past
Saturday was the 200th anniversary of this event.
In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson ordered that it be played at military and naval
occasions. In 1931, the Star-Spangled Banner became our national anthem.
Tuesday: The United States Flag
The U.S. flag has undergone many changes since the first official flag of 1777. On June
14, 1777, the Continental Congress passed the first Flag Act, which said that the flag
would be made up of thirteen alternating red and white stripes and thirteen white stars on
a blue field. Stars have been added to the flag as new states join the union. Currently, the
flag contains 50 stars.
Ever wonder why the flag is red, white, and blue? While the flag's colors did not have a
specific meaning at the time, the colors were significant for the Great Seal of 1782.
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White: Signifies purity and innocence
Red: Signifies valor and bravery
Blue: Signifies Vigilance, perseverance, and justice
Why stars and stripes? Stars are considered a symbol of the heavens and the divine goal
to which man has aspired from time immemorial; the stripe is symbolic of the rays of
light emanating from the sun.
Wednesday:
Today September 17th is Constitution Day!
It was on this day back 1787 that the Delegates signed the Constitution of the United
States of America in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This week we are celebrating freedom
week. We live in such a wonderful country to have laws that protect every individual. A
statement located in the Declaration of Independence in which our founding fathers wrote
begins to explain why we chose to be an independent nation.
Please repeat the following statements with me.
"We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that
they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that
among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness-- That to secure
these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just
Powers from the Consent of the Governed."
Thursday: Liberty Bell.
Cast in London, England in 1752, the Liberty Bell rang when the Continental Congress
signed the Declaration of Independence and has become the symbol of freedom in the
United States. The bell weighs about 2000 pounds and is made mostly of copper (70%)
and tin (25%).
As tradition, the bell was rung on every July 4th and on every state occasion until 1846.
Today, the Liberty Bell hangs in Philadelphia at the Liberty Bell Pavilion on Market
Street for all to see and is still gently rung each July 4th.
Friday: The Bald Eagle
The bald eagle is a large, powerful, brown bird with a white head and tail. The term
"bald" does not mean that this bird lacks feathers. Instead, it comes from the word
piebald, an old word, meaning, "marked with white."
The bald eagle was made the national bird of the United States in 1782. The image of the
bald eagle can be found in many places in the U.S., such as on the Great Seal, Federal
agency seals, the President's flag, and on the one-dollar bill.
Why was the bald eagle chosen as our national symbol?
The Founding Fathers wanted to choose an animal that was unique to the United States.
For six years, the members of Congress engaged in a dispute over what the national
emblem should be. As a result of the debate, the bald eagle was chosen because it
symbolized strength, courage, freedom, and immortality and that it would look much
better as our national symbol.