Show me an American who doesn't love the American flag and I'll show you someone who just doesn't love their country. And since this is "my" blog, I can make statements like that if I feel like it. I get such a sense of pride when I see it flying anywhere. Recently, they did a "streetscape" project in one of our local towns and they now have small flags flying out from the lampposts. As you go down this street, it is such a beautiful sight.
I'm sure the younger generation didn't even know that Saturday was Flag Day so I'm typing this to clue them in.
It was on June 14th in 1777 that Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes as the emblem
of our nation. The first rendition included thirteen stripes (red and white) and thirteen white stars on a blue background, the number thirteen standing for the thirteen colonies that made up our nation.......Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, North Carolina and Rhode Island. There are so many reports as to what the colors red, white and blue stand for but there is nothing definitive. So much of what has been said is purely speculative. It is written that George Washington proclaimed, "We take the stars from heaven, the red from our mother country, separating it by white stripes, thus showing that we have separated from her, and the white stripes will go down to posterity representing liberty."
of our nation. The first rendition included thirteen stripes (red and white) and thirteen white stars on a blue background, the number thirteen standing for the thirteen colonies that made up our nation.......Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, North Carolina and Rhode Island. There are so many reports as to what the colors red, white and blue stand for but there is nothing definitive. So much of what has been said is purely speculative. It is written that George Washington proclaimed, "We take the stars from heaven, the red from our mother country, separating it by white stripes, thus showing that we have separated from her, and the white stripes will go down to posterity representing liberty." The flag remained this way for 18 years until Kentucky and Vermont were added in 1795. It was another 23 years before it was changed again adding five more stars for Indiana, Louisiana, Ohio, Mississippi and Tennessee. From 1819 to 1912, twenty-eight more stars would appear and it would take another 47 years before another star was added in 1959 for Alaska followed in 1960 by Hawaii. They already have something in place for 52 stars just in case Puerto Rico and Washington DC are ever added as official states.
When I think of the flying of the American flag, there are three images that immediately come to mind...the placement of the flag at Iwo Jimo, on the moon and at Ground Zero.
In everyone's life, I'm sure there are memories of the flag that all American citizens hold dear. The one thing that we all have in common is the fact that it stands for freedom and liberty. As in the pictures above, the placement of the flag has represented retaliation, discovering new frontiers and the sadness we all felt when others were killed simply because they were Americans. In our lifetime, there will always be pictures and memories that include the American flag. May it always fly for you.
3 comments:
Lovely post, my dear.
Did you really post this almost two days ago? Because it just showed up on my Google Reader a few minutes ago. In fact, I looked on Terra Firma earlier tonight and there was nothing new there.
You always catch me. I started it on Saturday so that's why it's dated Saturday but just finished typing it and putting in the pictures tonight. So, that's why you're just seeing it now. There's nothing wrong with your Google Reader.
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