Got a Minute? What’s in a Flag?

Hi, friends in exile, got a minute?

On this day, June 14, in 1777, the Continental Congress adopted the American Flag. Independence was declared in 1776 and won in 1783, after eight years of fighting with Great Britain. The adoption of the American Flag was a rallying point for the new nation, giving the states a national identity and providing a source of American pride.

Celebrations of this day have a long history but were made formal by an act of Congress in 1949. Though not a national holiday, Flag Day is a day of commemorating the high cost of Independence as a nation and affirming its ideals. Since its final form in 1954, our Pledge of Allegiance reminds us of these ideals: our nation is a “Republic” designed for people of faith and virtue; it is “one nation under God”; and it believes in “liberty and justice for all.” I am still willing to stand in honor of such ideals. Happy Flag Day to all.

Smiley Mudd