In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation that officialy established June 14 as Flag Day. In Agust 1949, National Flag Day was established by an Act of Congress.
Flag Day is not an official federal holiday, meaning that banks are still open and so are government offices. However, it is a day of acknowledgement of our union and of our flag. It is the red, white and blue stars and stripes. This flag can be seen waving on flag poles across the United States as well as many other places accross the world. Flag Day is a day for remembering what the flag represents, freedom, truth, loyalty, law, honesty etc.
"Although the configuration of stars and stripes has changed over the years it has been flown, its significance and symbolism have not wavered. The flag that once helped unite a new Nation to confront tyranny and oppression still flies today as an unequivocal emblem of freedom and liberty. The same flag that has been raised on beaches and battlefields still adorns the uniforms of our heroic sons and daughters serving in America's Armed Forces, including our troops serving in harm's way in Iraq and Afghanistan." A part of a proclamation by President Barack Obama
There are many ways to celebrate Flag Day. Many cities accross the United States hold parades in honor of this day. One way that you can celebrate it is to just look at a United States flag and think about what it represents. Maybe you can fly one above your house or place of work. Even knowing that it's Flag Day is enough.
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="405" caption="The Flag of the United States of America"]
[/caption]Maybe you could volunteer in your community, or help at a Boy Scout event. These are just a few things you can do.
It's not mandatory, however this day was created to keep Americans thinking about their country and about the world. Even if you are not a citizen, even if you think that many things could be improved about the United states, know that thousands of people come to the United States to have freedoms that they never had in their own countries and that you should not take it for granted.
An example of one of the things that is different about the United States is that you can contact the President. If you wish to speak with him you can. That's very different from other countries in the world. It's not everywhere that you can call up the leader of a nation or send him a fax or a letter or even an email.
To finish, here is a part of a Presidential Proclamation by the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama, "To commemorate the adoption of our flag, the Congress, by joint resolution approved August 3, 1949, as amended (63 Stat. 492), designated June 14 of each year as "Flag Day" and requested that the President issue an annual proclamation calling for its observance and for the display of the flag of the United States on all Federal Government buildings. The Congress also requested, by joint resolution approved June 9, 1966, as amended (80 Stat. 194), that the President annually issue a proclamation designating the week in which June 14 occurs as "National Flag Week" and call upon citizens of the United States to display the flag during that week.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim June 14, 2010, as Flag Day and the week beginning June 13, 2010, as National Flag Week. I direct the appropriate officials to display the flag on all Federal Government buildings during that week, and I urge all Americans to observe Flag Day and National Flag Week by displaying the flag. I also call upon the people of the United States to observe with pride and all due ceremony those days from Flag Day through Independence Day, also set aside by the Congress (89 Stat. 211), as a time to honor America, to celebrate our heritage in public gatherings and activities, and to publicly recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America."
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