Monday, June 14, 2004

Flag Day

In JURIST'S Paper Chase today you can read about judicial decisions regarding flag saluting ceremonies. It is entirely appropriate that the US Supreme Court ruling regarding compelling anyone to salute the US flag should be made on June 14th.
June 14th is Flag Day, a holiday that commemorates the date in 1777 when the Continental Congress approved a resolution establishing the official flag of the United States: "Resolved, That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white: that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation."
Flag Day began to be unofficially celebrated in the late 19th century; then in 1916 President Woodrow Wilson issued a presidential proclamation declaring June 14 Flag Day. While Flag Day was celebrated in various communities for years after Wilson's proclamation, it was not until August 3rd, 1949, that President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14th of each year as National Flag Day.
You can read more about Flag Day at the American Memory Project, a digital project of the Library of Congress. The page about Flag Day includes a digital image of the letter Billy Gobitas of Minersville PA wrote refusing to salute the flag for religious reasons, a letter that touched off one of several constitutional battles over the authority of the state to require respect for national symbols and the right of individuals to freedom of speech.








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