Three Facts You Probably Don’t Know About Our Flag

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.

 

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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? 

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

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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!}