July Fourth is acknowledged and celebrated as America's birthday. The flag has its own special day--June 14.
A Wisconsin school teacher thought the flag should have its own day and B. J. Cigrand arranged for his students to observe June 14 as the flags birthday.
Betsy Ross is most often given credit as the seamstress behind the flag; however Betsy was merely one of several flag makers in Philadelphia. Betsy's contribution to the flag was changing the six pointed star to a five pointed star.
Sorry Betsy, you would have nixed this star.
My favorite story about the flag is the flag which flew over Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812. As Major George Armistead began preparation to defend the city of Baltimore from a British naval attack, he met with General John Stricker and Commodore Joshua Barney and "expressed a desire for a very large flag to be flow over Fort McHenry." General Stricker and Commodroe Barney commissioned a local flag maker, Mary young Pickersgill to make the flag. Major Armistead wanted "a flag so large that the British would have no difficulty seeing it from a distance." Mary's flag was made from cotton and dyed English wool bunting and measured 30 x 42 feet and took about six weeks to make. Mary was paid $405.90 for her work. This is the flag which inspired Francis Scott Key to write a poem entitled Defiance of Fort McHenry or Defense of Fort McHenry. This poem set to music became the song The Star Spangled Banner.
The flag as we know it today is thirteen stripes and fifty stars. The thirteen stripes represent the original thirteen colonies and the stars represent the states--one star for each state. The color red symbolizes hardiness and valor, white represents purity and innocence and blue is for vigilance, perseverance and justice. The white stars sit on a blue field which represents a new constellation.
To celebrate Flag Day, AppleJack and I will have a picnic on the porch.
Captain William Driver, the man who named the flag Old Glory is buried in Nashville's City Cemetery. Each year in celebration of Flag Day there are special Flag Day events held at the cemetery.
Before I begin my Flag Day celebrations, I have a few thousand weeds to pull!
Flag Day 2014!
