Happy Flag Day!

Every June 14th, Flag Day comes around, but do you know what the day celebrates? Every year, the holiday celebrates the adoption of the flag by the United States. The stars and stripes were adopted by the US Congress on June 14, 1777 during the Revolutionary War. Prior to this adoption, troops fought under different flags based on their colonial origins. Once the Declaration of Independence was signed, it was necessary to have one single flag to symbolize unity, which led us to Flag Day.

The flag was instated on June 14th under the Flag Resolution of 1777; however, the official announcement of a unified flag was not made until September 3rd. The holiday remained on the 14th, but was not officially recognized until 1916, when Woodrow Wilson issued a presidential proclamation declaring an official celebration.

It is widely believed that Betsy Ross designed the flag we fly today, but there is no evidence to support this claim. We do know that her work was influential, as she was a designer for the Philadelphia Navy during the war. Additionally, the flag we fly today is not what was flown in 1777. The first flag had 13 stars for the 13 colonies, and with each new state, a star was added, bringing us to the 50 stars we see today. The stripes, however, serve as a reminder of the 13 colonies that the country evolved from.