What is Flag Day and is it a federal holiday?

FLAG Day is an annual holiday and is celebrated on June 14, 2022.

The holiday was first implemented on June 14, 1777, and carries a legacy dating back to the birth of the United States.

What is Flag Day and why do we celebrate it?

Flag Day was introduced to commemorate the creation of the official American flag in 1777.

The flag was designed to unify the 13 colonies during the Revolutionary War, at a time when each colony carried its own flag.

Congress made a resolution that outlined the purpose of the American flag, which was created with 13 stars and 13 stripes to represent the colonies.

At a meeting of the Continental Congress in Philadelphia in 1977, John Adams said, “Resolved, that the flag of the thirteen United States shall be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the Union be thirteen stars, white on a blue field, representing a new constellation.”

The American flag has undergone 27 changes since it was declared the country’s official flag, with the last change occurring on July 4, 1960, when Hawaii became the 50th state.

Although the flag has changed over the years as states became part of the US, the original 13 strips have remained.

The colors for the flag were selected by the Congress of the Articles of the Confederation, who chose white to symbolize purity and innocence, red for valor and hardiness, and blue to represent vigilance, perseverance, and justice.

Is Flag Day a federal holiday?

Although Flag Day has never been an official federal holiday, then-President Harry Truman signed legislation proclaiming the day as a national holiday in 1949.

Businesses and schools do not close for Flag Day, but each year, the president issues a proclamation acknowledging the holiday.

President Joe Biden issued a proclamation on June 10, 2022, which said, “On Flag Day and during National Flag Week, we celebrate the journey of progress represented in our banner and pay tribute to the inspiration it gives Americans at home and abroad.

“Our flag belongs to all Americans, and its red, white, and blue colors are woven into a rich tapestry of different cultures, backgrounds, and beliefs which connects us and honors our shared history.

“Old Glory has flown around the world in times of war and in times of peace. It has traveled to the Moon and to Mars.

“It has sailed on ships and flown on planes. It waves high above the White House, courthouses, post offices, schools, and homes across the Nation, and also above our embassies and military bases overseas — an enduring beacon of democracy.”

Why is the American flag called Old Glory?

William Driver was a 19th-century sea captain from Salem, Massachusetts when he defied the confederates in the south by flying the American flag, which was then a symbol of the Union.

He called the flag “Old Glory,” flying it first on his ship and later at his home.

The flag was made for him by his mother and two sisters who remained in Salem after he moved to Nashville, Tennessee.

His two sons joined the confederacy, which, according to the , was a source of sadness for Driver.

In March 1862, Driver wrote, “Two sons in the army of the South! My entire house estranged…and when I come home…no one to soothe me.”

Despite his anguish, Driver continued to fly the stars and stripes from his home and when, on two occasions, Confederate soldiers tried to seize it, Driver refused.

On the first occasion, Driver told local Confederates, “Gentlemen…if you are looking for stolen property in my house, produce your search warrant,” and when they returned a second time, he said, “If you want my flag you’ll have to take it over my dead body.”

Afraid that his flag would be stolen from him, Driver hid it by sewing it in a coverlet with the help of women in the house next door.

When Tennessee became the first state to fall, Driver sought out Gen. William “Bull” Nelson, of the sixth Ohio regiment, bringing the coverlet with him.

Upon finding the general commander, Driver tore open the coverlet to reveal the flag and requested that it be flown over the state’s capitol.

The Smithsonian quoted Nelson’s aide Horace Fisher who said after handing the flag to the general, Driver said, “This is the flag I hope to see hoisted on that flagstaff in place of the [damned] Confederate flag set there by that [damned] rebel governor, Isham G. Harris.”

One of Driver’s daughters, Mary Jane Roland, was quoted as saying the exchange was greeted with “frantic cheering and uproarious demonstrations by soldiers.”

The regiment later adopted “Old Glory” as its motto.