The origins of Flag Day can be traced to a resolution adopted by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777, following a report by the special committee assigned to suggest the flag’s design.
It recommended that the flag of the United States shall be of 13 stripes of alternate red and white, with a union of 13 stars of white in a blue field, representing the new constellation.
Both President Wilson, in 1916, and President Coolidge, in 1927, issued proclamations asking for June 14 to be observed as the National Flag Day.
But it wasn’t until Aug. 3, 1949, that Congress approved the national observance, and President Harry Truman signed it into law.
The flag of the United States is a symbol of freedom before which Americans recite the pledge of allegiance.
The flag’s 13 red and white stripes represent the 13 original colonies. Its 50 white stars on a blue background represent the 50 states.
According to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the U.S. flag should be flown at the top, if sharing a staff with other flags, and when grouped, it should be displayed to its own right.
Special rules for handling the flag include:
Do not let the flag touch the ground.
Do not fly flag upside down unless there is an emergency.
Do not carry the flag flat or carry things in it.
Do not use the flag as clothing.
Do not store the flag where it can get dirty.
Do not use it as a cover.
Do not fasten it or tie it back. Always allow it to fall free.
Do not draw on, or otherwise mark the flag.
Per Federal Flag Code, it is the universal custom to display the flag only from sunrise to sunset on buildings and on stationary flagstaffs in the open.
However, when a patriotic effect is desired, the flag may be displayed 24 hours a day if properly illuminated during the hours of darkness.
Flag Day is June 14.