The History of Flag Day
The American flag is a symbol that holds special meaning for U.S. citizens. The flag expresses freedom, patriotism and independence. There are even federal regulations in place for determining how the flag should be displayed and treated. Flag Day is a holiday that celebrates the stars and stripes. Below is the history of Flag Day in the United States.
A Birthday for the Flag
It appears that the origins of Flag Day started with a few teachers around the country. The initial idea for the holiday started in 1885 in Fredonia, Wisconsin. Bernard Cigrand, an elementary school teacher, had the idea to celebrate the birthday of the American flag that year. Cigrand later took this idea public and became an advocate for the flag’s birthday. He gave speeches and published articles that caught the attention of other educators around the country.
Spreading the Recognition of Flag Day
Teachers, elected officials and organizations across the country started to celebrate the birthday of the American flag. In 1889, a teacher in New York City named George Balch had his kindergarten class celebrate with flags. There were celebrations in Pennsylvania in 1893. The superintendent of public schools in Philadelphia decided to make it an official holiday after receiving pressure from teachers and organizations like the Pennsylvania Society of the Sons of the Revolution. Philadelphia was the first place to declare that Flag Day would take place annually on June 14. Celebrations expanded quickly after that with Chicago schools holding celebrations in 1894 that involved more than 300,000 students in several public parks all waving small flags.
Federal Recognition
States like New York started making declarations that all public buildings would display the American flag prominently on the newly founded Flag Day. This caught the attention of the federal government. In addition, some powerful people in the country were making requests for recognition. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson first acknowledged that Flag Day was a holiday in May. He waited until August to make Flag Day’s official celebration date June 14. The holiday has been widely celebrated across the United States ever since that time.
