Stars and Bars
“When we honor our flag, we honor what we stand for as a nation: freedom, equality, justice, and hope.” ~ President Ronald Reagan
By act of the Second Continental Congress, June 14, 1777, a resolution was adopted stating that “the flag of the United States be thirteen alternate stripes red and white” and that “the Union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation.” The Continental Congress, which had signed the Declaration of Independence just eleven months before, had taken one more step in helping to shape our national identity by adopting a national flag. The first flag had the thirteen red and white stripes we know today but only had thirteen stars in the blue field arranged in a circle. As our country would grow and new states were accepted into the union, new stars would be added. I write about the flag today as today we celebrate Flag Day.
The first Flag Day celebration took place on the 100th anniversary of the adoption of the first stars and stripes flag. In 1877, the United States would add one more star that year to bring the total to 38 stars to go along with thirteen stripes. Originally, as new states entered the union, a star and a stripe were added but in 1818, congress restricted the number of stripes to the original thirteen. It wasn’t until 1949 that Flag Day was officially established as a national day of observance on June 14th. For all you history buffs out there, Flag Day also coincides with the birthday of the United States Army which was established by the same congress two years before in 1775.
Over the years, there have varying views of the United States flag and what it comes to represent. I believe in my heart that for the most part, people view our flag with the honor it deserves. There is great controversy today as many professional athletes have chosen to take a knee during the playing of our national anthem in protest of certain social injustices and many might remember during the time of the Vietnam war in which the flag was burned in protest of our nation’s involvement in that conflict. Because the flag means and represents so much to so many people, it is often targeted by those protesting actions by our government or our society as a whole in order to raise awareness and promote change. Whether you believe in the use of our nation’s colors this way or not, the fact remains that our national flag is often used as an extension of our first amendment right of freedom of speech.
As our national flag stands now, there are fifty stars to represent the fifty different states, the last two stars both coming in 1959 as Alaska and then Hawaii were admitted to the Union. Since 1959, there has been discussion of adding a 51st star as the United States has several territories that could possibly become new states if they decide to go through the process of statehood. The most likely candidate would be the territory of Puerto Rico as over 90% of those voting last year in local elections want to start the process of statehood. Another possibility of getting new stars on the flag will be making headlines over the next several months as the state of California just accepted for the November ballot the proposal of splitting the state into three separate states. We will have to wait and see on that one. Even if the vote passes for the state to be split up, there still needs to be approval from congress and clear all the legal battles which will surely erupt.
Our flag is a grand old flag that evokes emotions and feelings…either positive or negative…all over the world. I know for myself, it certainly evokes strong feelings as I have strong feelings for our nation as a whole. Flag Day doesn’t get the press it might deserve but as long as it exists, people should continue to try and learn a little about our national colors. I hope everyone has a great weekend as we get closer to the official kick off of summer and the longest day of the year. Take care of yourself and each other, remember, we’re all in this together.
Wm Reid
Best Home Care Services
325 N Eastern Ave
Connersville, IN 47331
765-827-9833
wmreid@bhcshealth.com