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Three Facts You Probably Don’t Know About Our Flag

June 8, 2020 by Katherine Wolfe 16 Comments

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Flag Day is just around the corner and if you are anything like me, you probably have little clue what the holiday means.

But, don’t worry. I did a wee bit of research {thanks Google} on the subject of Flag Day {mostly because I did not want my son to be clueless on the subject too} and found the simple answer.

Flag Day is celebrated on June 14th and has been set aside to commemorate the day we adopted our nation’s flag, June 14, 1777. On that day, nearly 250 years ago, the Second Continental Congress adopted the country’s first official flag by resolution.”

This just means that the most important powdered-wig wearing men of the day voted on an official flag. And they did so on June 14th, 1777, so we are supposed to celebrate that fact every June 14th. 

It’s that simple. 

But, my research revealed some other really interesting facts. I learned several things that caused me to wonder why my parents paid good money for a private school education. 

But I’ll just share three of the most interesting things I learned.

 


 

FLAG FACT ONE: The version of our flag that we first flew had Great Britain’s Union Jack in the prime corner spot. 

In order to find this interesting, you have to know two things:

A. At that exact moment in time, we considered Great Britain to be our oppressors and were currently at war to free ourselves from them. 

B. Great Britain’s flag consisted then {and still does} of one big fat Union Jack. 

So, why on earth was it ever considered a good idea to have our oppressor’s flag highlighted on ours? Thankfully, George Washington, who was the commander of the Continental Army at the time, wised up and decided this would be bad for morale among the soldiers and the Union Jack was replaced with stars {one for each original colony}. 

 

FLAG FACT TWO: Despite what any kindergarten kid will tell you, there is no real proof that Betsy Ross had anything to do with our flag. As we all know, Betsy Ross is credited with making the first flag {like the one pictured above,} but there is actually no historical proof that this is the case. There are no records from the Continental Congress, no letters from George Washington, no written correspondence from anybody about Betsy’s role in sewing the first flag. 

So, why are we taught that Betsy Ross had anything to do with the creation of our flag? Because Betsy’s relatives claim that they heard extensive details of the flag’s creation. While the evidence is simply not sufficient to definitively classify it as a fact or a fiction, you can examine that evidence yourself and draw your own conclusions. You can read the testimony of William Canby and the affidavits of Rachel Fletcher, Sophia Hildebrant and Margaret Boggs to decide for yourself. 

 

FLAG FACT THREE: We’re not supposed to be wearing the flag unless it’s on the  uniform of military personnel, firemen, policemen, and members of patriotic organizations.

This means that Old Navy has been doing this all wrong. 

And so have Olympic athletes, 

cowboy boot manufacturers,  

and recent mask makers.

The rules for handling and displaying the U.S. Flag are defined by a law known as the U.S. Flag Code. There are dozens of rules to follow and you can read them in full here, but the one rule I am referencing reads like this:

The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery. It should never be festooned, drawn back, nor up, in folds, but always allowed to fall free.”

There is debate whether this means you can’t make any items that even remotely represent the flag {see the mask above} or whether you just can’t take an actual flag and wear it like clothing {see Shaun White’s photo above.} 

Either way, I found it very surprising since we see dogs wearing flag bandannas, models wearing flag bikinis and advertisements for flag blankets, rugs and tableware all the time. 

Which flag fact did you find most interesting? 


If you want to read more interesting FLAG FACTS, check out this post, Three More FLAG FACTS You Probably Don’t Know {but should!}


And if you are looking for a quick and fun resource to learn more about FLAG DAY, check out this FLAG DAY FACT PACK.  You can snag it for free here {if you subscribe to my newsletter.} Or if you prefer to pay for it, you can head here instead. It’s perfect for kids of nearly every age {and adults will certainly learn from it too!}

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Filed Under: Holidays, SUGGESTIONS Tagged With: Flag Day, Flag Facts, US History

Comments

  1. Sabrina DeWalt says

    June 8, 2020 at 10:55 pm

    Two out of three I didn’t know. Living in Philly as a child we visited Betsy Ross’s house, so it was a given that she made that first flag. Very interesting to find out it may not be true.

    Reply
  2. Jordan says

    June 9, 2020 at 8:09 am

    I did not know that there was no actual evidence that Betsy Ross was involved in making the first flag. That is so interesting!

    Reply
  3. Tiffany says

    June 9, 2020 at 8:46 am

    That part is so frustrating and that you’re not supposed to wear the flag but so many people feel “patriotic” by wearing it. Ugh.

    Reply
  4. Emily Ackerman says

    June 9, 2020 at 11:05 am

    I knew number 3. Did not know #1!

    Reply
  5. Charlene says

    June 9, 2020 at 8:29 pm

    So if not wearing a flag is not allowed, why do so many people do it? And in so many different ways? Interesting…

    Reply
  6. Carrie Beaton says

    June 10, 2020 at 9:26 pm

    I totally thought that Betsy Ross made the first flag. I think it’s interested that there are no real facts to show that!

    Reply
  7. Jean says

    June 11, 2020 at 12:43 pm

    Thanks for sharing. Our state’s second grade curriculum includes our flag. When I was Principal at an elementary school, I contactect our feeder high school and asked the R.O.T.C. if they could come to the elementary school and do a presentation on the flag. They did and it was the most magnificent presentations I’ve seen complete with hands-on activities like the correct way to fold a flag, how to carry the flag in a parade, how to present the flag, where to set it up in an assembly, etc. It has been over twn years since that experience and I still remember their presentation and still cherish the pictures I have that will eventually be included in My Life as an Educator scrapbook. Thank you for adding these facts.

    Reply
    • Katherine Wolfe says

      June 15, 2020 at 9:31 pm

      What a great experience you created for those students {and yourself!}

      Reply
  8. Alladine says

    June 11, 2020 at 1:58 pm

    Really interesting facts about the american flag. Number 2 was shocking to me, my life is a lie. lol.

    Reply
  9. Gale says

    June 11, 2020 at 2:01 pm

    I never knew about the Union Jack ever being part of our flag! Interesting!

    Reply
  10. Katie says

    June 11, 2020 at 2:33 pm

    I found the last one to be the most interesting…. I’m guessing that you can’t take an actual flag and wear it like clothing!

    Reply
  11. Eva Keller says

    June 11, 2020 at 2:40 pm

    My dad has very strong feelings about that last one. I was never allowed to wear anything that had the flag on it. I’ve always wondered how no one else seemed to know that or just didn’t care. I always thought it was as much common knowledge of not letting the flag touch the ground. I’m glad more people will know this now!

    Reply
  12. Myrka says

    June 11, 2020 at 11:24 pm

    This is all so interesting. Thanks for giving me the knowledge about it. I feel like most countries must have their own laws regarding the flag and I just feel like the US probably has never really enforced it. I am of Mexican heritage and Mexico actually has similar laws regarding the flag and most people actually do abide by those laws.

    Reply
  13. Beckie says

    June 12, 2020 at 8:43 pm

    Thanks for the info! I am always looking to learn something new!

    Reply
  14. Katherine Wolfe says

    June 15, 2020 at 9:31 pm

    We all were, weren’t we? Crazy!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Three More FLAG FACTS You Probably Don't Know {but should!} | The Wolfe Pack {Reviews~Support~Opinions for the Discerning Homeschool Mom} says:
    June 23, 2020 at 10:17 pm

    […] flag. I learned so many interesting Flag Facts,  in fact, that there were too many for just one post so I decided to highlight THREE MORE FLAG […]

    Reply

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