FLAG DAY at Flag's HAVEN

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June 14, 2000

WELCOME
from
Flag's HAVEN FAMILY HOMEPAGE

"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.

"THE FLAG OF THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA"

The Stars and Stripes is the most popular name for the red, white, and blue national flag of the United States. No one knows where this name came from, but we do know the origin of several other names. Francis Scott Key first called the U.S. flag the Star-Spangled Banner in 1814 when he wrote the poem that became the national anthem. William Driver, a sea captain gave the name Old Glory to the U.S. flag in 1824.

The Stars and Stripes stands for the land, the people, the government, and the ideals of the United States, no matter when or where it is displayed.

On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress resolved that "the Flag of the united states be 13 stripes alternate red and white, and the Union be 13 stars white in a blue field, representing a new constellation."

The Continental Congress left no record to show why it chose red, white, and blue as the colors for the flag. But in 1782, the Congress of the Confederation chose these same colors for the newly designed Great Seal of the United States. The resolution on the seal listed meanings for the colors.

RED is for hardiness and courage,

WHITE for purity and innocence,

and BLUE for vigilance, perseverance, and justice.

The Stripes in the flag stand for the thirteen original colonies. The Stars: the resolution passed by Congress in 1777 stated that the flag should have 13 stars. But Congress did not indicate how the stars should be arranged. A flag with 13 stars in a circle is often associated with the period. There is also no historical basis for assigning each star to a particular state.

In the United States, the national flag should be displayed every day except when weather conditions are severe enough to damage the flag. The flag is customarily displayed from sunrise to sunset, but it is not illegal to fly the flag 24 hours a day. When flown at night, it should be spotlighted.