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The American Flag
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I revere the United States Constitution. This
country, with all of its flaws, has, in my opinion, the best constitution ever written, in the history of humankind,
that outlines the basic precepts of freedom and rights for all citizens. Unfortunately, it is often ignored when
government and law enforcement agencies find it burdensome and inconvenient. The very foundation of this country is
predicated upon the U. S. Constitution. I
do possess a bit of patriotism . . . . .frankly, I even consider myself a Super Patriot . A true patriot always
questions his government because government can never be trusted to do the right thing. An unpatriotic
citizen doesn't question his government, but instead, just believes and supports any old nonsense his government espouses.
I apologize that I digressed, but I have passionate
opinions about freedom and rights for all, and not just a privileged few. I hope visitors to this page enjoy reading a bit of history regarding the flag.
Page Contents: Unfurling the Stars and Stripes Flag Etiquette Evolution
of the Flag (Myths and facts.) Francis Hopkinson (Designer
of the first flag.) Robert G. Heft (Designer of the
current flag.) Flag Raising at Iwo Jima
Flag Day
Unfurling the Stars
and Stripes
The flag remains a powerful symbol of patriotism for many Americans. But where
did those stars and stripes come from in the first place? Time for us to unfurl the story.
What Came Before the "Stars and Stripes"? Try the "Continental Colors." It had 13 red and white stripes representing
the 13 colonies and a British Union Jack in the corner. George Washington raised this flag as the banner of the Continental
Army on January 1, 1776. Other early flags depicted a pine tree or a snake. There were several versions of the "Gadsden
flag," which was yellow with a rattlesnake coiled over the words "Don't Tread on Me!"
Many Americans believe a Philadelphia seamstress named Betsy Ross designed and sewed the first Stars and Stripes.
The legend began when her grandson, William Canby, spoke on the origin of the flag to the Pennsylvania Historical Society
in 1870. Canby said his grandmother had told him that she fashioned the flag in June 1776 at the request of George Washington.
Still, despite the fact that Betsy Ross was a good businesswoman who kept careful records, Canby admitted he could find no
documents to back up the story. Canby said Washington approached Ross because he was part of a
congressional committee in charge of creating a new flag. But no one has found any evidence that the committee existed, that
Washington visited Ross's shop, or that the two even knew each other. Betsy Ross did make flags, but for now, the legend
of her sewing the first-ever Stars and Stripes remains a legend.
Why Stars
and Stripes? On June 14, 1777,
the Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, adopted the following resolution, without comment or debate: "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."
Congress said nothing about
the stars' arrangement, so different versions of the Stars and Stripes appeared during the following years, with different
star patterns. These included the "Betsy Ross flag," with the stars in a circle.
Many historians now believe the Stars and Stripes may have been the work of Francis Hopkinson, a congressman,
artist, and signer of the Declaration of Independence. In 1780, Hopkinson wrote a letter to the government about designs he
had made for official symbols, including the "Flag of the United States of America." He noted that he hadn't
been paid and asked for a quarter cask of wine as compensation.
Why Red,
White, and Blue? No official explanation
of the color scheme has ever been established. Yet in 1782, Charles Thomson, the congressional secretary in charge of choosing
a great seal for the United States, did explain the meaning of the seal's red, white, and blue. He said, "White signifies
purity and innocence, Red hardiness and valour, and Blue . . . signifies vigilance, perseverance and justice."
On the other hand, the flag may be red, white, and blue simply because those
are the colors of the British flag. Maybe early Americans weren't quite as rebellious as they thought.
--Jeffery Vail KnowledgeNews
is brought to you by Every Learner, Inc., an independent small business dedicated to supporting lifelong learners. Copyright
© 2002-2005 Every Learner, Inc. All rights reserved.
FLAG ETIQUETTE The flag of the United States should be flown
daily from sunrise to sunset in good weather from public buildings, schools, permanent staffs, and in or near polling places
on election days. The flag may be displayed 24 hours a day on patriotic holidays or if properly illuminated.
The
flag should always be flown on national and state holidays and on those occasions proclaimed by the President. On Memorial
Day, the flag should be half staffed until noon.
The flag should never touch anything beneath it, nor should it
ever be carried flat or horizontally.
Besides
the Fourth, other days the flag should be flown include: New Year's Day, Inauguration Day, Lincoln's Birthday, Washington's
Birthday, Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day (half-staff until noon), Flag Day, Columbus
Day, Navy Day and Veterans Day.
By
law, a star is added to the U.S. Flag on the 4th of July fallowing the admission of a State(s) to the Union. It
is important to note that no U.S. Flag ever became obsolete. Each flag, from the very first, is still a legal flag and may
be flown anytime. WHAT IS SYMBOLIC ABOUT FOLDING THE AMERICAN
FLAG INTO A TRIANGULAR SHAPE?
The American flag is folded into a
triangular shape to symbolize the shape of the cocked hats worn by soldiers of the American Revolution.
Evolution of the American Flag
- Myths and Facts
Every country has its own myths and legends. In America, we have many. For example, George Washington cutting down a cherry
tree as a boy and when asked about this transgression stating that 'I cannot tell a lie." Another cherished myth deals with
one Betsy Ross. Seamstress patriot, stuff of legend. But , alas, most probably not the person responsible for creating the
first American flag. According to the legend, George Washington himself approached Elizabeth Ross in 1777 and asked her to
create a flag from a sketch he drew. She then sewed this first flag for the new country. However, the story resides on shaky
ground. For one thing, there is no record of this incident discussed in any official or anecdotal documents of the time. In
fact, the story was not told until 94 years after the event took place by one of Betsy Ross' grandson, William J. Canby.
More interesting than this legend, however, is the origin of the original flag having a circle of stars. An artist named
Charles Weisgerber actually designed the flag in this manner for the painting, "Birth of Our Nation's Flag." This painting
was eventually copied into American History texts and became 'fact'.
So what is the true origin of the flag?
It is believed that Francis Hopkinson, a Congressman from New Jersey and
patriot, was the true designer of the flag. In fact, the journals of the Continental Congress show that he designed the flag.
Official Acts Relating to the Flag
· June 14, 1777 -
The Continental Congress passed the first Flag Act stating, "Resolved, That the flag of the United States be made of thirteen
stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation."
In 1949, President Harry S Truman officially named June 14th
Flag Day in commemoration of this event.
· January 13, 1794
- Act which stated that after May, 1795 there would be 15 stripes and 15 stars.
· April 4, 1818 -
Act signed by President Monroe stated that there would be 13 stripes and one star for each state. New state's stars would
be added on July 4th after their admission to the Union.
· June 24, 1912 -
For the first time, flags became standardized with specific proportions and the arrangement of the stars into six rows of
eight each according to an Executive Order from President Taft.
· January 3, 1959
- An Executive Order from President Eisenhower stated that the stars would be arranged in seven rows of seven stars each.
· August 21, 1959
- An Executive Order from President Eisenhower resulted in the stars being arranged in nine rows staggered horizontally and
11 rows staggered vertically.
Did you know? Robert G. Heft designed the current flag as a school project when Hawaii and Alaska were being discussed
as possible states. He received a B minus for the assignment because his teacher said it lacked creativity. His teacher told
him he would receive a higher grade if it was adopted by Congress, so he sent it on to his representative, where it eventually
became the nations flag.
Francis Hopkinson
Designer of the First American Flag
Francis Hopkinson was a popular patriot, a lawyer, a Congressman
from New Jersey, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, poet, artist, and distinguished civil servant. He almost certainly
was the person who designed the first Stars and Stripes.
He was appointed to the Continental Navy Board on November
6,1776. It was while serving on the Continental Navy Board that he turned his attention to designing the flag of the United
States. The use of stars in that design is believed to have been the result of an experience in the war directly related to
his property.
A book in Hopkinson’s library at his home in Bordentown
was taken by a Hessian soldier in December 1776, a dark year of the war. The book, “Discourses on Public Occasions in
America” (London, 1762) by William Smith, D.D., had been a gift to him by the author. The soldier, one I. Ewald, wrote
on the inside cover that he had seen the author near Philadelphia and that he, Ewald, had taken the book from a fine country
seat near Philadelphia. The book was subsequently given to someone in Philadelphia who returned it to Hopkinson. The soldier
had written above and below Hopkinson's bookplate, which had three six pointed stars and his family motto, "Semper Paratus",
or "Always Ready".
The safe return of the book may well have symbolized to Hopkinson
the revival of the Americans hope.
In a letter to the Board of Admiralty in 1780 Hopkinson asserted
that he had designed "the flag of the United States of America" as well as several ornaments, devices, and checks appearing
on bills of exchange, ship papers, the seals of the boards of Admiralty and Treasury, and the Great Seal of the United States.
Hopkinson had received nothing for this work, and now he submitted a bill and asked "whether a Quarter Cask of the public
wine" would not be a reasonable and proper reward for his labors.
The Board forwarded the letter to Congress, which referred
it to the Board of Treasury. Apparently acting on a request from Congress, Hopkinson sent a detailed bill on June 6th, and
it was sent to the auditor general, James Milligan. He sent it to the commissioners of the Chamber of Accounts, who replied
six days later, on June 12th, that they were of the opinion that the charges were reasonable and ought to be paid. Milligan
gave the report a favorable endorsement and passed it on to the Board of Treasury. The board now raised objections and returned
the bill to the auditor general on the grounds that no vouchers were included with the bill. Hopkinson now submitted a new
copy of his bill and itemized each charge and it was rejected once again. The auditor asked once more for its favorable consideration.
After another round of referral through the departments, the board filed the correspondence and did nothing for two and half
months.
Fed up with the delay, Hopkinson wrote to Charles Lee, the
secretary of the Board of Treasury, accusing him of lying about having received the amended bill and delaying the settlement
of his claim. Lee failed to satisfy Hopkinson, and the latter sent to Congress a list of charges against the board.
Just as in our modern times, Congress appointed a committee
to investigate the matter. The various government officers concerned with the claim appeared before the committee at its request.
Only the men of the Board of Treasury ignored the summons. In its report to Congress, the committee recommended that the present
board be dismissed.
Congress sent the report back to the committee for further
consideration and another investigation and another report followed. In its second report, the committee noted that this time
the members of the Board of Treasury answered the summons, but frequently tried to dictate the way in which the investigation
should be made. The committee felt that the Treasury should be directed by a single individual, responsible to Congress, but
made no recommendation in regard to Hopkinson's claim.
The matter remained unsettled until August 23rd,1781, when
Congress passed a resolution asking that the claim be acted on. Meanwhile, Hopkinson had grown weary of the controversy and
on July 23rd, 1781, he resigned his office as Treasurer of Loans. One of Hopkinson's chief opponents on the board of Treasury
resigned the same day.
Between the first and second report of the committee, the
Board of Treasury gave its own report to Congress on the history of the Hopkinson claim. Aside from the lack of vouchers,
the members of the board knew that "Hopkinson was not the only person consulted" on the matter of designs and therefore could
not rightly claim the whole amount, and in addition, the board felt that the public was entitled to these extra services from
men who drew high salaries.
Though Hopkinson's political adversaries blocked all attempts
to have him paid for his services, they never denied that he made the designs. The journals of the Continental Congress clearly
show that he designed the flag
The design of the first Stars and Stripes by Hopkinson had
the thirteen stars arranged in a "staggered" pattern, technically known as quincuncial, because it is based on the repetition
of a motif of five units.
This arrangement inevitably results in a strongly diagonal
effect. In a flag of thirteen stars, this placement produced the unmistakable outline of the crosses of St. George and of
St. Andrew, as used together on the British flag.
Whether this similarity was intentional or accidental, it
may explain why the plainer fashion of placing the stars in three parallel rows was preferred by many Americans over the quincuncial
style.
Robert G. Heft
DESIGNER OF AMERICAS CURRENT NATIONAL
FLAG
By Jim Sielicki, United Press International
This article appeared in the magazine
"THE EXCHANGE/JULY-AUGUST 1988"
If the nation ever gets around to adding a new state to the
union, Mayor Robert Heft will have a flag with 51 stars ready to go.
Heft's niche in history is already secure as the designer
of the country's 50-star flag 29 years ago, but his dream is to have his second version accepted when a new state is created.
"There's a very good chance that I'd be the very first person
in America's history to design two of the nation's flags, if it comes to pass," Heft said.
What began as a high school project for the 45-year-old mayor,
real estate businessman and part-time college teacher has evolved into a patriotic mission. Heft travels 100,000 miles annually
from his home in Napoleon, a northwest Ohio town of about 9,000 people, to spread the gospel of patriotism and the story of
how he designed the flag.
His popularity as a speaker - he averages about 150 engagements
a year - extends from commencement exercises to appearances before civic groups. The Army invited him to serve as honorary
parade marshal last July 4 in Panama.
"Of course that's my whole life," he says.
Heft did not have such a high profile back in 1958 in Lancaster,
Ohio, when his interest in politics and talk of Alaska and Hawaii becoming states prompted him to design a 50-star flag as
a school project.
"When I was in school I was really shy," Heft recalled. "I
was always the type of kid to sit in the back of the class."
Unfamiliar with a needle and thread and unable to get help
from his mother who feared her son's projects would be desecrating the flag, Heft spent 12 1/2 hours one weekend arranging
and sewing a new combination of stars. 'The thing is to add it (a star) so no one can tell there is a change in the design,"
he said. 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. "He said anybody could make the flag."
Pratt, however, said he would give Heft a high grade if he
could get Congress to accept the design.
Heft took on the challenge and sent his flag to his congressman,
Rep. Walter Moeller, who eventually got Heft's design accepted.
Heft said he designed a 51-star version a few weeks after
he completed his school project. That flag has six rows of stars, beginning with a row of nine and alternated by rows of eight
to achieve a 51-star total.
The proposed 51-star flag is in the hands of Rep. Clarence
Miller, R-Ohio. "I told him to do whatever is necessary if we have a contest again," he said.
The flag that made Heft famous is soiled and faded from frequent
display. It has flown over every state capital building and over 88 U.S. embassies. An uneven patch at a lower corner is evidence
of an attack on the embassy in Saigon in 1967.
"It's the only flag in America's history to have flown over
the White House under five administrations," he said.
Heft said he has turned down offers of up to $350,000 to
sell his first flag, and he has no intentions of parting with it.
"But of course the thing that I'm worried about is right
now it's the official flag of the country and it takes me all over the world," he said.
Until another state is created and new flag is flown, Heft's
flag keeps him busy making money through speaking engagements.
Raising the Flag at Iwo Jima
Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima, an iconic photograph taken
on February 23, 1945 by Joe Rosenthal, depicts five United States Marines and a U.S. Navy corpsman raising the Flag of the
United States atop Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. The photograph was instantly popular, being
reprinted in hundreds of publications. Later, it became the only photograph to win the Pulitzer Prize for Photography in the
same year as its publication, and ultimately came to be regarded as one of the most significant and recognizable images in
history, and possibly the most reproduced photograph of all time.
Of the six men depicted in the picture, three (Franklin
Sousley, Harlon Block, and Michael Strank) did not survive the battle; the three survivors (John Bradley, Rene Gagnon, and
Ira Hayes) became suddenly famous. The photograph was later used by Felix de Weldon to sculpt the USMC War Memorial, located
just outside Washington, D.C.
Because the famous picture taken by Rosenthal actually
captured the second flag-raising event of the day. A U.S. flag was first raised atop Suribachi soon after it was captured
early in the morning of 23 February 1945. However, this flag raised was too small to be seen easily from the nearby landing
beaches. Consequently, a second, larger flag was sent up to be raised so that it could be seen by Naval vessels. The men sent
to raise this flag were accompanied by two photographers.
Bill Genaust, who was standing almost shoulder-to-shoulder
with Rosenthal about thirty yards from the flag raising, was shooting motion-picture film during the flag-raising. His film
also captures the flag raising at an almost-identical angle to Rosenthal's famous shot.
Following the second flag raising, Rosenthal had the Marines
of Easy Company pose for a group shot, which he called the "gung-ho" shot. A few days later he was asked if he had posed the
photo. Thinking the questioner was referring to the 'gung-ho' picture, he replied "Sure." As a result of this , Rosenthal
has repeatedly been accused of having staged the picture, or covering up the first flag raising. One New York Times book reviewer
even went so far as to suggest revoking his Pulitzer Prize Over the decades that have followed, Rosenthal has repeatedly and
vociferously refuted claims that the flag raising was staged.
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and its licensors.
Flag Day
Flag Day in the United States is celebrated on June 14. It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States, which
happened that day by resolution of the Second Continental Congress in 1777.
In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation that officially established June 14 as Flag Day;
in August 1949, National Flag Day was established by an Act of Congress.
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.
Flag Day is not an
official federal holiday, though on June 14, 1937, Pennsylvania
became the first (and only) U.S. state to celebrate Flag Day as a state holiday.
Although earlier flags had a British Union Jack or the motto "Don't Tread on Me,"
the first flag approved by the Continental Congress had thirteen stars on a field of blue
and thirteen stripes.
It is not known when the flag was first called the "Stars
and Stripes," but the nickname "Old Glory" was applied to the flag for
the first time in 1831 by a sea captain named
William Driver.
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