Flag Day in the United States
Flag Day is celebrated in the United States on June 14. It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States on June 14, 1777. This was done by a resolution of the Second Continental Congress. The Flag Resolution stated: “Resolved, That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.”
The United States Army also celebrates the U.S. Army birthday on this date. Congress adopted “the American continental army” after reaching a consensus position in the Committee of the Whole on June 14, 1775.
In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation officially establishing June 14 as Flag Day. On August 3, 1949, National Flag Day was established by an Act of Congress. It is not an official Federal holiday. On June 14, 1937, Pennsylvania became the first U.S. state to celebrate it as a state holiday in 1937. This began in the town of Rennerdale.
The oldest continuing Flag Day parade was probably held in Fairfield, Washington. Beginning in 1909 or 1910, Fairfield held a parade almost every year since. Appleton, Wisconsin, claims to be the oldest National Flag Day parade in the nation. It has been held every year since 1950.
Quincy, Massachusetts has had an annual parade since 1952. The largest parade was held in Troy, New York until 2017. In Three Oaks, Michigan, the Parade is held on the weekend of Flag Day and is a three-day event. It it claims to have the largest parade in the nation as well as the oldest.
For Flag Day 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt launched an international “United Flag Day.” It was also called “United Nations Day” and celebrated solidarity among the World War II Allies. It was observed in New York City as the “New York at War” parade. It was celebrated throughout the United States and internationally from 1942 to 1944.
The week of June 14 is designated as “National Flag Week.” During National Flag Week, the president will issue a proclamation “urging the people to observe the day as the anniversary of the adoption on June 14, 1777, by the Continental Congress of the Stars and Stripes as the official flag of the United States of America.” The flag should also be displayed on all government buildings.
The National Flag Day Foundation holds an annual observance for Flag Day on the second Sunday in June. The program includes a ceremonial raising of the national flag, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, singing the national anthem, a parade, and other events.
The Star-Spangled Banner Flag House in Baltimore, Maryland, has celebrated Flag Day since the 1927. It was the birthplace of the 1813 flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write his famous poem a year later. The Betsy Ross House has been the site of Philadelphia’s observance of Flag Day.
