Flag Day - June 14 origins, the 1877 centennial, and how the US observes its national flag

Flag Day marks the anniversary of a single act: the Second Continental Congress resolution of June 14, 1777, which "Resolved, That the flag of the United States be made of thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field." The resolution passed during the Revolutionary War, when the new nation still had to explain to its soldiers and allies which flag was which.

The Flag Day observance overlaps with two other June civic dates: the Army's June 14 birthday (the same date in 1775, three years before the Flag Resolution) and Father's Day on the third Sunday of June. The convergence is the basis of the rare "trifecta" civic weekend observed by military families and veterans' organisations in the third week of June each year. Some school districts also use Flag Day as an opportunity to pair civic-history lessons with service-recognition programming.

Pennsylvania has the strongest tradition. The state designated June 14 as a legal state holiday in 1937 (Act 1937-165), observed in public schools since 1893 under a separate school law. The Pennsylvania State Flag Day ceremony in Centre County is one of the largest in the country, drawing 5,000+ attendees to the Storm-Kraus American Flag Day program at the Citizens' Library. The Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia hosts an annual Flag Day festival.

The holiday is one of the oldest unofficial civic days on the US calendar. It is also one of the simplest: a single sentence from the Journals of the Continental Congress, a small flag on a teacher's desk 108 years later, and a 1925 statute that stops short of giving federal workers the day off.

Origins

Bernard Cigrand and the first Flag Day (1885)

Bernard J. Cigrand, a 19-year-old schoolteacher in Waubeka, Wisconsin (now part of Fredonia), placed a small flag on his desk on June 14, 1885, and assigned his students to write essays about it. He later spent three decades campaigning for a national Flag Day, editing the magazine The American Standard and writing the 1911 pamphlet The History of the Flag Day. The State of Wisconsin claims his schoolhouse as the birthplace of the holiday.

Wilson's proclamation and the 1925 statute

President Woodrow Wilson issued the first national Flag Day proclamation on May 30, 1916, and the 53rd anniversary of the resolution. Congress followed on August 3, 1925 (now 4 U.S.C. section 7), asking the president to issue an annual proclamation. Neither the statute nor the proclamation created a public holiday; federal and private employers treat June 14 as a normal workday.

How it is observed

The federal proclamation urges "public display of the flag" and recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. Practical observance varies: schools stage flag-raising ceremonies; the Boy Scouts of America hold annual retirement ceremonies for worn flags; the National Flag Foundation runs an essay contest; and the National Archives hosts a public reading of the Flag Day resolution on the National Mall most years.

State status

Pennsylvania made Flag Day a state holiday in 1937, observed in public schools since 1893. New York briefly adopted it for state workers in 2001 before rescinding. Several states including Connecticut, Minnesota, and Washington list it as a flag observance day but not a paid day off for general state employees. Local and county governments vary.

Where it is contested

Unlike Columbus Day, Flag Day is not subject to wide renaming pressure. Occasional local proposals to lower or salute the flag in alternative ways (e.g. removing "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance) reach school boards but rarely go further. The American Legion and Sons of the American Revolution provide educational material; flag history scholars note the 1958 addition of "one star for Alaska" and 1959 addition for Hawaii as the most recent substantive changes.

US flag etiquette and the Flag Code

The United States Flag Code (4 U.S.C. sections 4 - 10) is the body of federal law governing display and treatment of the American flag. Originally adopted in 1924 and codified in its current form in 1958, the Flag Code covers display, half-staffing, retirement, and respect. Most provisions are customary rather than enforced; the Supreme Court has ruled (Texas v. Johnson, 1989; United States v. Eichman, 1990) that flag-desecration laws are unconstitutional under the First Amendment, leaving the Flag Code largely advisory.

The 50 -star flag has been the official design since July 4, 1960, after Hawaii's 1959 admission. The previous 48 -star flag held the longest service life of any US flag (1912 - 1959). Earlier designs - 13 stars, 15 stars, 20 stars - have their own anniversaries commemorated by vexillological societies. The Star- Spangled Banner that flew over Fort McHenry in 1814 (the 15-star, 15-stripe "Great Garrison Flag") is preserved at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History and is one of the most studied artefacts in American material culture.

Flag Day by the numbers

The US government distributes 2 - 3 million US flags to veterans' graves each Memorial Day (typically 12 x 18 inch flags) and a similar volume for Flag Day events. Flag manufacturers sell roughly 100 million US flags annually, with peak months in June (Flag Day, Memorial Day) and early July (Independence Day). The largest US flag flown regularly was a 60 x 120 foot banner at the Hooper Avenue Bridge in Glendale, Arizona (now retired to a museum); the largest free-flying US flag at a federal facility is the 30 x 60 foot flag at the US Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia.

Flag Day is unusual among US civic-memory observances in that the official date (June 14) coincides with the anniversary of the 1777 Flag Resolution, while the statutory proclamation date (August 3, 1925) sits months later. The discrepancy allows the President to issue the proclamation in summer while the public commemoration falls in June. The Boy Scouts of America retire approximately 50,000 worn US flags each year during June ceremonies.

Related days

• Independence Day (July 4) - the only legal holiday that explicitly honors the nation's founding.
• Constitution Day (September 17) - the next civic-memory day on the federal calendar.
• Veterans Day (November 11) - a federal holiday honoring service members.

Sources

Primary sources: 4 U.S.C. section 7 (annual Flag Day proclamation); Journals of the Continental Congress, Vol. VIII (1777); Pennsylvania Act 1937-165; Library of Congress, "Today in History: June 14."

History of Flag Day

Flag Day on June 14 commemorates the 1777 adoption of the flag of the United States by the Second Continental Congress. The 1777 resolution established the flag with thirteen alternating red and white stripes and a blue field with thirteen white stars. The flag has been modified 27 times as new states have been added.

Flag Day was first observed in 1885 by a teacher in Wisconsin. President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation in 1916 establishing June 14 as Flag Day. In 1949, President Harry Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14 as National Flag Day.

How it is observed

Flag Day is observed by the display of the American flag, parades, and patriotic ceremonies. Many communities host flag retirement ceremonies, where worn flags are respectfully disposed of. The day coincides with the U.S. Army's birthday (June 14, 1775) and is celebrated by veterans' organisations.