The American Flag

Spiral, Spinning Horizontal Line

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

Unfurling the Stars and Stripes

By Jeffrey Vail
Posted Friday, July 1, 2005

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

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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