The American flag, which has been a symbol of the United States for over two hundred years has an amazing history. In 1775, the colonist flag was flown on the ship named Alfred and the flag became known as the “Alfred Flag”. The flag eventually inspired the Pledge of Allegiance. Betsy Ross assembled a new flag in May of 1777. This flag had 13 alternating red and white stripes and 13 white stars on a blue background in the upper left hand corner. Red stands for hardiness, the white represents purity and innocence, the blue color symbolizes vigilance, perseverance, and justice. William Driver nick named this flag “Old Glory”. When a new state was added to the union another star was added as well. The flag has been flown in various locations that included, Robert Perry taking the flag and flying it at the North Pole, Barry Bishop placing it on Mt Everest, and Neil Armstrong setting it on the Moon. Daily, the flag is flown from sunrise to sunset. June 14 is celebrated as Flag Day. The History of the American Flag is fascinating. …show more content…
Francis Scott Key was born August 1, 1779.
He graduated from St. John’s college and became a prominent lawyer in Georgetown. Later he served in the Georgetown artillery as a solider. During 1802, he married Mary “Polly” Llyod and together they had eleven children. In 1814, his friend, Dr. Beanes was captured by the British during the war of 1812. Francis negotiated the release of Dr. Beanes onboard the ship HMS Tonnant. He was held on the boat during the bombing of Fort McHenry, also known as the Battle of Baltimore. At dawn after the bombing, the US flag still triumphantly flew over Baltimore. He composed a poem called the Defense of Fort McHenry, which later became known as the “Star Spangled Banner”. Herbert Hoover, who was US President from 1929-1933, declared it to be the national anthem in 1931. Francis died January 11, 1843 and was buried at Mt Olivet cemetery in Frederick,
MD. The Pledge of Allegiance is a symbol of our American’s loyalty. The original pledge was written by a man named Colonel Balch, who lived during the Civil War. His pledge stated “We give our heads and hearts to God and our country; one country, one language and one flag.” Francis Bellamy, a minister and author, thought the pledge was too simple, so he expanded it and published it in a children’s magazine. In the 1800’s, some people thought that a flag should be in every school. As the country was celebrating the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ landing in America, 25,000 schools received flags. Bellamy updated his pledge and added the words allegiance, republic, indivisible and later under God. On Flag Day, June 14. 1954, President Eisenhower signed legislation that stated children in school would daily recite the Pledge. Originally people would stretch out their hands towards the flag to recite the pledge but later it changed to placing your hand on your heart. The symbols of the Flag, Pledge and Anthem represent loyalty to America and to God.
In 1776 the United States of America became a great nation, free from Britain's rule. We became a nation full of freedom and opportunity, symbolized by many great icons. The Statue of Liberty, the Liberty Bell, this great nations capitol, the District of Columbia, and the greatest of these icons, our American Flag. Our flag symbolizes to the world our strength, determination, and the rights and freedoms of our people. The very sight of it has given men the courage and willingness to sacrifice their own lives in order to protect what it symbolizes. But where did it come from? For more than a century it has been disputed by historians that the story of Betsy Ross, a widow from Philadelphia could be given the honor of handcrafting the first American Flag. So is it fact or a delightful fable that has weaved its way in as part of our American history?
The American flag has long been a symbol of our country, but there have been certain doubts about its origin. No one really knows who sewed the American flag. The legend of Betsy Ross has been told many times, but some people look upon it as a myth, saying Betsy Ross never even existed. Betsy Ross was indeed a real person who lived in the 1700's, but no one can prove she actually sewed the American Flag.
For more than 200 years, the American flag has been a big part of the United States. Betsy Ross had been the first, reportedly, to make the American flag. It originally had thirteen stars, representing the first thirteen colonies, but later it ended up with fifty to represent the states in the Union. It is a symbol of our
The Florida’s governor suggested adding the red cross so the flag would not look like a banner of truce or surrender while hanging limp on a flagpole. Florida voters agreed amendment to Florida’s constitution was made in 1900 which describes the current design. Many flags have flown over Florida since the European explorers first landed here in the early sixteenth century. The flags that landed
What is the American flag and what does it represent? For many Americans the flag represents freedom, pride, and justice. Our flag stands for freedom because of the many lives that had to be lost throughout history for us to be the nation we are today. The American flag stands for pride because of the many American soldiers men and women who lost their lives for us. Lastly, our flag stands for justice because in the United States no matter what crime we do we have the right to a fair trial.
First I would like to include some information about our american flag and how it came about. In the British colonies of North America before the Revolution, each of the 13 colonies had its flag. On Jan. 2, 1776, the first flag of the United States was raised at Cambridge, Mass., by George Washington. Known as the Grand Union flag, it consisted of 13 stripes, alternate red and white, with a blue canton bearing the crosses of St. George and St. Andrew. Congress, on June 14, 1777, enacted a resolution “that the Flag of the United States be 13 stripes alternate red and white, that the Union be 13 stars white in a blue field representing a new constellation.” On Jan. 13, 1794, Vermont and Kentucky having been admitted to the Union, Congress added a stripe and a star for each state. Congress in 1818 enacted that the 13 stripes, denoting the 13 original colonies, be restored and a star added to the blue canton for each state after its admission to the Union. All of the states and territories of the United States also have their own flags. Betsy Ross created the first flag. Betsy would often tell her children, grandchildren, relatives, and friends of the fateful day when three members of a secret committee from the Continental Congress came to call upon her. Those representatives, George Washington, Robert Morris, and George Ross, asked her to sew the first flag. This meeting occurred in her home some time late in May 1776. George Washington was then the head of the Continen...
of June 14th,1777, Congress passed a resolution that “the flag of the United States be 13 stripes. Alternate the red and white, that the union be 13 stars, white in a blue field.”
On December 3rd 1775, John Paul Jones hoisted the first American Flag over the Continental Naval Ship Alfred. The first American Flag was the Grand Union Flag. The Grand Union Flag which had thirteen red and white stripes was taken directly from the British East Indian Company Flag. It is from this flag that our current American Flag evolved. The adopting of the Grand Union Flag which in reality is the British East Indian Company Flag was intended to symbolize the fact that the United States of America would be an autonomous Corporate Colony under the authority of the King of England and not an independent nation.
The colors of the flag, white, red, and blue, all have distinct significant meanings of what the United States stands for. White signifies purity and innocence, red signifies hardiness & valour, and lastly blue, which shows vigilance, perseverance & justice, while the stripes indicate the original 13 Colonies and the stars represent the 50 states of the Union. Although the flag may just be a piece of cloth, it most certainly has a definitive symbol that beholds a tremendous amount of power in its name. With current political issues rising, people of America feel the need to show their heavy disapproval and discontent towards the actions being taken to “better” the United States economy, by indignantly desecrating the flag, burning it until
The Continental Congress passed the first Flag Act on June 14, 1777. Along with that came the basic design of the American flag, which called for “thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.” Each of the three colors of the flag was chosen for a reason. Blue represents justice, vigilance, and perseverance. Red is for valor. White is for purity.
"A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom," These words were said by president by president John F. Kennedy. The king of Great Britain was imposing taxes on us without us knowing. He decided to cut all trades in all parts of the world. He has taken out the government from us out of his protection and declaring war against us. Everyone in the past wanted freedom and independence. This happened not only in the past, but in the present and future too. We should allow him to cut all connections with us. We could start off new with new governments, system, and also a different society. Our courage is that we should make up new laws where we are all treated equally. If we do this, it will take time but we would do it without the president of Great Britain.
Our nation. Our great nation. Our great, but imperfect nation. The ideals our nation holds so close to its heart. Have we forgotten them? Have we forgotten what our soldiers were fighting for? Have we forgotten the path our forefathers paved out of love for those who hadn’t even swallowed their first breaths on earth. Have we become so lost in the dredges of life, in our problems and opinions, that the path isn’t even in sight anymore? Lost...lost is a strange word. Lost is troubled, but not hopeless. Lost is out of sight, but not gone. Lost can be found. New paths can be made and maybe, the old path can come back into sight. Or maybe it doesn’t have to. The America our forefathers envisioned is likely not the America that we see today. Not, we are not the same America, but like the generations that
The American flag is not just a piece of material, it is a symbol of your country. As such, it should be treated with respect and care. Many people are familiar with the traditional flying of the flag from a flagpole at government buildings, schools, and so forth. Many others show their national pride by flying the flag from their residence. Beyond these standard displays, there are many other ways to display your flag, as well. Most of them are such a part of our lives that we don't notice them anymore, but if they were gone, it would sure leave a giant hole in the fabric of our country.
The 50 stars are the states in the U.S. and the red and white stripes represent the 13 colonies. The flag should always be raised between sunrise and sunset. At night, it should be above a spotlight that can make the flag clearly visible and the flag should not be torn or damaged. On holidays such as July 4th, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, etc., it should be raised if not already. Showing what it means to be proud of your country is exactly what these firefighters did. The firefighters are showing their love by raising the flag from the ground to show that we have not fallen. Every day, there are cops, soldiers, firefighters, etc., who put their life on the line to protect our freedom from those who try to destroy
The American flag is an astounding symbolism that represents America’s freedom. The red stripes on the flag represents hardiness and valour, the blue represents vigilance, perseverance, and justice, lastly the white represents purity and innocence. However, the flag that symbolizes freedom and represents the United States, it is also the flag that can divide the nation apart. In America, one of the most controversial act of freedom is burning the American flag. This arises the debate whether a law should amend the Constitution or not. However, the Constitution, itself, states that it is not an malice act if a person burns the American flag. Thus, the Constitution should not be amended to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag because