History.com - June 14, 1777: Congress adopts the Stars and Stripes

Sunday, June 14, 2009

History.com - June 14, 1777: Congress adopts the Stars and Stripes

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June 14: General Interest 1777 : Congress adopts the Stars and Stripes During the American Revolution, the Continental Congress adopts a resolution stating that "the flag of the United States be thirteen alternate stripes red and white" and that "the Union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation." The national flag, which became known as the "Stars and Stripes," was based on the "Grand Union" flag, a banner carried by the Continental Army in 1776 that also consisted of 13 red and white stripes. According to legend, Philadelphia seamstress Betsy Ross designed the new canton for the Stars and Stripes, which consisted of a circle of 13 stars and a blue background, at the request of General George Washington. Historians have been unable to conclusively prove or disprove this legend. With the entrance of new states into the United States after independence, new stripes and stars were added to represent new additions to the Union. In 1818, however, Congress enacted a law stipulating that the 13 original stripes be restored and that only stars be added to represent new states. On June 14, 1877, the first Flag Day observance was held on the 100th anniversary of the adoption of the Stars and Stripes. As instructed by Congress, the U.S. flag was flown from all public buildings across the country. In the years after the first Flag Day, several states continued to observe the anniversary, and in 1949 Congress officially designated June 14 as Flag Day, a national day of observance. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

General Interest 1777 : Congress adopts the Stars and Stripes http://www.history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihVideoCategory&id=5090 1789 : Bounty mutiny survivors reach Timor http://www.history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5091 1951 : UNIVAC computer dedicated http://www.history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=6928 1982 : Falkland Islands War ends http://www.history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5092 American Revolution 1777 : Continental Congress chooses national flag http://www.history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=721 Automotive 1928 : Duray sets record in Miller Special http://www.history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=7471 Civil War 1863 : Battle of Second Winchester http://www.history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=2212 Cold War 1954 : First nationwide civil defense drill held http://www.history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=2698 Crime 1985 : TWA flight 847 is hijacked by terrorists http://www.history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=1036 Disaster 1903 : Flash flood devastates Oregon town http://www.history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=751 Entertainment 1993 : Warner Bros. pays Crichton $3.5 million http://www.history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=3364 1994 : Henry Mancini dies http://www.history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=3365 1996 : Ella Fitzgerald dies http://www.history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=3363 Literary 1811 : Harriet Beecher Stowe is born http://www.history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4002 Old West 1846 : California's Bear Flag revolt begins http://www.history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4551 Presidential 1922 : Harding becomes first president to be heard on the radio http://www.history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=657 Sports 1998 : Jordan leads Bulls to sixth NBA title http://www.history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=56999 Vietnam War 1968 : Dr. Spock convicted for aiding draft resisters http://www.history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=1906 1969 : U.S. command announces troop withdrawal http://www.history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=1907 World War I 1917 : U.S. President Woodrow Wilson gives Flag Day address http://www.history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=691 World War II 1940 : Germans enter Paris http://www.history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=6486 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ History.com on the Go ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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20080614 Flag Day

Flag Day

The long version of Sunday Carroll Eagle column for Sunday, June 8, 2008

by © Kevin Dayhoff (1,089 words)

Related: 20080606 Presidential Proclamation: Flag Day and National Flag Week

Tomorrow is the 231^st birthday of the United States Flag. For the past 92 years we have observed June 14^th as Flag Day.

Hopefully, you and your family will display the Old Glory for Flag Day.

Please take a moment to reflect upon the flag that has steadfastly stood for America’s strength, unity, and liberty for 231 years.

The flag has remained a constant reminder of the sacrifices that have been made to maintain the freedoms, liberties, and way of life in this great experiment; we call the United States of America.

When we display the flag, our community also expresses our gratitude to the men and women who have gone before and fought to ensure that the many blessings and freedoms we enjoy will continue for many generations to come.

Flag Day was established by President Woodrow Wilson on May 30, 1916. On August 3, 1949, President Harry Truman signed an Act of Congress that designated June 14 as National Flag Day.

Also this Saturday we celebrate the birthday of the United States Army. It was two years before the Flag Act of 1777; on June 14, 1775 that Congress established the United States Army. Ten companies of "expert riflemen" were originally authorized - approximately 800 soldiers.

On June 15, 1775, George Washington was chosen to head the Continental Army. The delegate to the Second Continental Congress who nominated George Washington was Thomas Johnson, from Frederick.

While we are on the subject of birthdays, this year is also the occasion of another milestone in United States military history; the 100^th birthday of the U.S. Army Reserve.

The origins of the Army Reserve began in April 1908 with a group of doctors being designated as the Medical Reserve Corps, which could be called to active duty in an emergency. Today there are more than 200,000 “citizen-soldiers” in what we now know as the U.S. Army Reserve.

The origins of Flag Day go back to the Second Continental Congress, which met from May 10, 1775 to March 1, 1781. It passed the “Flag Act of 1777” on June 14, 1777.

Originally, the purpose of the Second Continental Congress was to hopefully continue negotiations with Great Britain over the “Intolerable Acts.” The First Continental Congress drafted the “Articles of Association,” in 1774, in a furtive attempt to mitigate England’s policies towards the colonies. Severing the relationship with England was not part of the plan at the time.

Nevertheless, by the time the Second Continental Congress had convened in Philadelphia, on May 10, 1775, the American Revolution had begun. The Battles of Lexington and Concord, in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay had taken place just a few weeks before on April 19, 1775.

Quickly, things weren’t not looking good for the home team. Instead of conducting economic negotiations with the most powerful nation on the planet at the time, the Second Continental Congress found itself at war; equipped with a non-existent army, no money, and the support of about one-third of the population, on a good day.

One of the immediate challenges for General Washington was to negotiate with a congressional committee in September 1775 for more soldiers, equipment, and supplies.

Factionalism plagued congress and regionalism challenged the military and the agreement reached with congress was ultimately not satisfactory.

According to Volume I of the U. S. Army’s “American Military History,” edited by Richard W. Stewart: “A Continental Army had been formed, but it fell far short of the goals Washington and Congress had set for it. This army was enlisted for but a year, and the whole troublesome process would have to be repeated at the end of 1776. The short term of enlistment was, of course, a cardinal error; but in 1775 everyone, including Washington, had anticipated only a short campaign.”

A representative from New Jersey, Francis Hopkinson is accepted by history to have been the designer of the first flag. He was a poet and an artist who began serving on the “Continental Navy Board” in November 1776. It was in this capacity that Congressman Hopkinson began work on “admiralty colors.”

Tradition has it that a Philadelphia flagmaker by the name of Betsy Ross was also involved in the design and manufacture of one of the first flags. The May 29, 1777 minutes of the “Board of War” meeting reads: “... an Order on William Webb to Elizabeth Ross, for fourteen pounds, twelve shillings, two pence for making ships colours & put into William Richards' stores.”

Hopefully she got paid.

Congressman Hopkinson billed the “Board of Admiralty” in 1780 for his work on “‘the flag of the United States of America’ as well as several ornaments, devices, and checks appearing on bills of exchange, ship papers, the seals of the boards of Admiralty and Treasury, and the Great Seal of the United States. Hopkinson had received nothing for this work, and now he submitted a bill and asked "whether a Quarter Cask of the public wine" would not be a reasonable and proper reward for his labors.”

A congressional committee was appointed to investigate Congressman Hopkinson’s request for payment. It summoned witnesses and took testimony. However, “the men of the Board of Treasury ignored the summons. In its report to Congress, the committee recommended that the present board be dismissed.”

The more you read about the behavior of Congress in the early days of the Republic, the more one wonders if we were at war with Congress– or Britain.

On August 23^rd, 1781, congress passed a resolution that the Congressman, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, be paid. Ultimately he was never paid, not because it was disputed that he did the work, but because his political adversaries prevailed in denying him payment.

Bear in mind, while all this is taking place - there is war going on; a war that never really went well.

Objective history that is ambivalent as to whether the American colonies won the war or Great Britain got tired of the hassle and expenses and walked away. At the time, members of congress and a congressional committee were haggling over whether Congressman Hopkinson should be paid or not, the final military maneuvers of the war were being conducted in Virginia.

It was around August 23, 1781 that French Admiral de Grasse arrived from the Caribbean, blockaded the Chesapeake Bay, and pinned British General Cornwallis down at Yorktown. General Cornwallis surrendered on October 19, 1781.

Only by the Grace of God did our nation survive, in spite of ourselves – in spite of Congress.

When he is not preoccupied with reading Revolutionary War trivia, Kevin Dayhoff can be reached at kdayhoff AT carr.org.

20080614 Flag Day