 Flag Day
Flag Day is celebrated on June 14 in memory of the day in 1777 when the Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes as the official flag of the United States. It is not an official national holiday, but the President proclaims a public Flag Day observance every year. In Pennsylvania, Flag Day is a legal holiday.
On Flag Day, people in the United States display the flag on their homes, businesses, and public buildings. Some schools honor the flag with special programs that may feature discussions of the flag's origin and meaning. Many patriotic organizations hold parades and other Flag Day demonstrations.
Flag Day was first officially observed in 1877 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the selection of the flag. Congress requested all public buildings to fly the flag on June 14 of that year. Some people suggested that Flag Day be observed each year. Early leaders of campaigns to establish Flag Day as an annual national celebration included William T. Kerr of Pittsburgh and Bernard J. Cigrand of Waubeka, Wis. In 1897, the governor of New York proclaimed a Flag Day celebration for the first time as an annual event in that state. President Woodrow Wilson established Flag Day as an annual national celebration in his proclamation issued on May 30, 1916. In 1949, President Harry S. Truman officially recognized June 14 as Flag Day by signing the National Flag Day Bill.
from World Book
Betsy Ross and the Flag
Percy Moran, artist, copyright 1917
On the 14th day of June, 1777, the Continental
Congress passed the following resolution:
RESOLVED, That the flag of the thirteen United States
be thirteen stripes alternate red and white; that
the Union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field,
representing a new constellation.''
We are told that previous to this, in 1776, a
committee was appointed to look after the matter,
and together with General Washington they
called at the house of Betsy Ross, 239 Arch
Street, Philadelphia.
Betsy Ross was a young widow of twenty-four
heroically supporting herself by continuing the
upholstery business of her late husband, young
John Ross, a patriot who had died in the service
of his country. Betsy was noted for her exquisite
needlework, and was engaged in the flag-making
business.
The committee asked her if she thought she
could make a flag from a design, a rough drawing
of which General Washington showed her. She
replied, with diffidence, that she did not know
whether she could or not, but would try. She
noticed, however, that the star as drawn had
six points, and informed the committee that the
correct star had but five. They answered that
as a great number of stars would be required, the
more regular form with six points could be more
easily made than one with five.
She responded in a practical way by deftly
folding a scrap of paper; then with a single clip
of her scissors she displayed a true, symmetrical,
five-pointed star.
This decided the committee in her favor. A
rough design was left for her use, but she was
permitted to make a sample flag according to her
own ideas of the arrangement of the stars and the
proportions of the stripes and the general form
of the whole.
Sometime after its completion it was presented
to Congress, and the committee had the pleasure
of informing Betsy Ross that her flag was
accepted as the Nation's standard. by Harry Pringle Ford (Adapted)
Teach the Children of the Flag
  
Teach the children of the Flag,
Let them know the joy it holds
In its sun-kissed rippling folds;
Don't let patriotism lag:
Train them so that they will love
Every star and stripe above.
As you teach their lips to pray,
Teach them always to be true
To the red, the white, and blue;
Praise the Flag from day to day
Tell the children at your knee
All the joys of liberty.
Let them know and understand
How the Flag was born and why;
Tell how brave men went to die
Gladly for their native land;
Whisper to them that they must
Make the flag their sacred trust.
Love of country ever starts
In the home and at your knee;
There the Flag shall come to be
Shrined in patriotic hearts;
They shall gladly serve their land
When they know and understand.
Edgar A. Guest
 
National Symbol
The flag is the symbol of our national unity,
our national endeavor, our national aspiration.
The flag tells of the struggle for independence, of union preserved,
of liberty and union one and inseparable, of the sacrifices of brave
men and women to whom the ideals and honor of this nation
have been dearer than life.
It means America first; it means an undivided allegiance.
It means America united, strong and efficient, equal to her tasks.
It means that you cannot be saved by the valor and devotion of
your ancestors, that to each generation comes its patriotic duty;
and that upon your willingness to sacrifice and endure as those
before you have sacrificed and endured rests the national hope.
It speaks of equal rights, of the inspiration of free institutions
exemplified and vindicated, of liberty under law intelligently
conceived and impartially administrated. There is not a thread
in it but scorns self-indulgence, weakness, and rapacity.
It is eloquent of our community interests, outweighing
all divergencies of opinion, and of our common destiny.
by Charles Evans Hughes
The Flag Goes By
Hats off!
Along the street there comes
A blare of bugles, a ruffle of drums,
A flash of color beneath the sky:
Hats off!
The flag is passing by!
Blue and crimson and white it shines,
Over the steel-tipped, ordered lines.
Hats off!
The colors before us fly;
But more than the flag is passing by.
Sea-fights and land-fights were great,
Fought to make and to save the State:
Weary marches and sinking ships;
Cheers of victory on dying lips;
Days of plenty and years of peace;
March of a strong land's swift increase
Equal justice, right and law,
Stately honor and reverent awe;
Sign of a nation, great and strong
To ward her people from foreign wrong
Pride and glory and honor, -all
Live in the colors to stand or fall.
Hats off!
Along the street there comes
A blare of bugles, a ruffle of drums;
And loyal hearts are beating high:
Hats off!
The flag is passing by.
Henry Holcomb Bennett
Getting ready to display your flag during a patriotic holiday?
The rules on handling the flag are based on the concept that
the flag represents a living country, people have died to
defend its principles, and it should be handled appropriately.
The flag can be any size, in a ratio of 4 feet by 6 feet.
There is one star for every state, and each star represents
justice, loyalty, and persistance. The stripes represent
the original 13 colonies. White stripes represent liberty.
Red stripes respresent valor.
The offical colors of the United States flag are:
Red Pantone 193
White
Blue Pantone 281
Properly Displaying the US Flag
The Flag is always hoisted briskly and lowered ceremoniously.
The Flag is never allowed to touch the ground or the floor.
It is never to be printed on clothing, costumes, or
athletic uniforms, or on disposible items such as boxes.
(a patch may be placed on public service uniforms)
When displayed against a wall, vertically or horizontally,
the blue star field should be positioned on the top left corner.
When hung over a sidewalk on a rope extending from a building
to a pole, the union stars are always away from the building.
When vertically hung over the center of the street, the
Flag always has the union to the north in an east/west
street, and to the east in a north/south street.
The Flag should never be festooned, drawn back,
nor up, in folds but always allowed to fall free.
The Flag should be displayed at half-staff until noon
on Memorial Day then raised to the top of the staff.
Never fly the Flag upside down except as a signal of
distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.
The Flag is never flown in inclement weather
except when using an all-weather Flag.
The Flag can be flown every day from sunrise
until sunset and at night if illuminated properly.
The Flag should be displayed on all days,
but especially on:
New Year's Day,
Inauguration Day,
Lincoln's Birthday,
Washington's Birthday,
Easter Sunday,
Mother's Day,
Armed Forces Day,
Memorial Day (half-staff until noon),
Flag Day,
Independence Day,
Labor Day,
Constitution Day,
Columbus Day,
Navy Day,
Veteran's Day,
Thanksgiving Day,
Christmas Day,
days as may be proclaimed by
the President of the United States,
date of each State's admission
and State holidays.
Pledge of Allegiance
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.
A few links to enjoy :)
The National Flag Day Foundation, Inc.
The History Of Flag Day
Flag Day
Annie's Flag Day
Sheryl's Holiday Site: Flag Day
Celebrate Flag Day
The Importance of Flag Day
Betsy Ross Homepage
Flag Day
Flag Day
Welcome to the White House
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