Today is Flag Day.
With everything going on this week, I thought it would be appropriate to reflect on the one symbol that Americans, no matter their individual politics, can rally around and see themselves in.
At an array of recent protests against federal immigration sweeps, we’ve seen just about every iteration of flag – American, Mexican, Guatemalan, Rainbow – along with those carrying an array of messages, either by design or the way the flag is held.
Here in Anaheim, a wave of protesters are expected to show up to demonstrate against the Trump Administration, starting at 4 p.m. at La Palma Park as part of a series of nationwide demonstrations dubbed the No Kings protests.
Nearby, at the Westin Anaheim Resort Orange County Republicans will be hosting their annual Flag Day dinner – a local tradition going back to the early 2000s initiated by former OC GOP Chair Tom Fuentes
Our U.S. flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing, according to the official U.S. Flag Code, which is why there’s so much attention paid to giving it the proper respect in how it is displayed, cared for and even retired.
It’s a symbol that reminds us of what generations of Americans have died to protect.
Freedom.
As the nation’s most enduring symbol of freedom, the flag often becomes a focal point of protest, something we’ve clearly seen this past week, which has triggered off it’s own debate.
On June 14, 1777, the Marine committee of the second Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia approved the design of a national flag – a design that, like our nation, has proved adaptable over time while sticking to core principles.
Colonial troops used flags with many symbols —rattlesnakes, pine trees, and eagles—as well as slogans like ”Don’t Tread on Me,” “Liberty or Death,” or “Conquer or Die.”
After our Declaration of Independence, the new nation needed one flag as opposed to the individual flags flown by the colonies.
The U.S. flag design adopted by Congress began with “thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field representing a new constellation,” according to the founding resolution.
There’s lots of myths and history behind how the design was achieved.
The most popular says George Washington asked a seamstress – like my mom – to sew up a design and that Betsy Ross, who had experience putting together ensigns and pennants for the Philadelphia Navy during the war, was the lead designer.
It’s said the flag first was raised during the Revolutionary War at the Battle of the Brandywine or Cooch’s Bridge in 1777.
But the flag really flew into national focus during the U.S. Civil War where it stood in sharp contrast to the Confederate Flag.
The first Flag Day was observed on the 100-year anniversary of the original flag resolution in 1877 and afterwards, a series of individuals – like Wisconsin school teacher Bernard J. Cigrand – advocated for a national holiday for the nation’s chief symbol.
In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a presidential proclamation establishing a national Flag Day on June 14.
Congressional legislation designating that date as national Flag Day was signed into law by President Harry Truman in 1949.
As new states were admitted to the union, the design was updated over time with the current design being unveiled on July 4, 1960.
The current American flag design was actually proposed by a high school student from Lancaster, Ohio, named Bob G. Heft, who submitted a design in anticipation of Hawaii and Alaska joining the Union and got picked by President Dwight Eisenhower.
In 1966, Congress asked in a joint resolution that the President issue annually a proclamation designating the week in which June 14 occurs as “National Flag Week” and calling upon all citizens of the United States to display the flag during that week.
Since then, each president issues a proclamation.
“Our flag is a source of inspiration and strength to all Americans,” wrote President Trump in his 2017 proclamation. “By honoring our flag, we pay due respect to the patriots and heroes who have laid down their lives in defense of the liberty it represents.”
“It stands for the sacred idea that we are all created equal and deserve to be treated equally throughout our lives,” wrote President Biden in last year’s proclamation, adding “our flag is also a reminder of our shared calling: to stand for the ideals our country was founded on—democracy, freedom, and justice for all.”