What is Flag Day? A brief history of America's Flag and why we celebrate it.

June 14, 2023

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Today is Flag Day, where we celebrate the creation of the first American flag that has rallied the American people since its creation in 1777 and the millions of Americans who have been blessed to call the United States their home ever since.

The flag had humble yet bold beginnings, created during the height of the Revolutionary War when the British army was rapidly depleting the continental forces. It became the symbol of colonial farmers fighting for their freedom against their oppressive master. Now the "Red, White, and Blue" is an enduring symbol of freedom and liberty around the world.

Here is a history of our flag as we honor and remember it this Flag Day.

June 14, 1777

A 1920s vintage illustration depicts George Washington watching Betsy Ross sew the American flag.

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The following resolution was made after the appointment of a special committee from the Continental Congress tasked with designing a flag for the newly independent United States:

Resolved, that the Flag of the thirteen United States shall be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the Union be thirteen stars, white on a blue field, representing a new constellation.

Betsy Ross, tasked with creating a flag by George Washington for the newly-born nation, created the first American flag based on this design.

September 11, 1777

The colonies' new flag was first flown at the Battle of Brandywine, fought just outside of Philadelphia. Though resulting in a British victory, the battle proved that the Continental Army could stand up to the British Army, the strongest in the world at that time, boosting confidence in their strength and resilience. The flag rallied the soldiers in the Continental Army under one symbol, uniting the soldiers from across the 13 colonies under one symbol that now represented their new nation: the United States of America.

February 14, 1778

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Valentine's Day 1778 marked the first time when the flag was saluted by foreign naval vessels. The French navy saluted the flag when the Ranger, under the command of the infamous Scottish-American naval hero, Captain John Paul Jones, arrived in a French port, bearing the Stars and Stripes.

Early 1778

"New Providence Raid, March 1776" oil painting on canvas by V. Zveg, 1973

Public

The American flag was first flown over a foreign entity in Nassau, Bahamas after the Continental Army captured a British fort.

June 14, 1889

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Professor George Bolch, the principal of a free kindergarten school for the poor of New York City, held annual patriotic ceremonies to observe the anniversary of the Flag Day resolution. The State Department of Education took notice of Bolch's Flag Day celebration and mandated all public schools observe Flag Day thereafter. The state legislature then passed a law requiring the state superintendent of public schools to ensure that schools hold observances for Lincoln’s Birthday, Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, and Flag Day.

1893

Public Domain

The Society of Colonial Dames helped pass a resolution to have the flag displayed on all of Philadelphia's public buildings. Elizabeth Duane Gillespie, a direct descendant of Benjamin Franklin and the president of the Colonial Dames of Pennsylvania, that same year tried to get the city to call June 14th "Flag Day."

1897

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The governor of New York ordered the display of the flag over all public buildings statewide, which is considered by many to be the first official recognition of the Flag Day anniversary of the adoption of the flag outside of schools.

May 7, 1937

Philadelphia's Independence Hall celebrates Independence Day.

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Pennsylvania became the first state to establish June 14 "Flag Day" as a legal holiday. Though Flag Day is a nationwide observance today, Pennsylvania is the only state that recognizes it as a legal holiday.

June 14, 1916

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President Woodrow Wilson issued the first presidential proclamation establishing a national "Flag Day." In his commemoration, Wilson wrote:

On that day rededicate ourselves to the nation, "one and inseparable" from which every thought that is not worthy of our fathers’ first vows in independence, liberty, and right shall be excluded and in which we shall stand with united hearts

June 14, 1927

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Calvin Coolidge also issued a presidential proclamation calling for June 14 to be recognized as "Flag Day."

August 3, 1949

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Flag Day became official when Congress approved legislation designating June 14 each year as "Flag Day." President Truman signed the legislation into law.

The Blaze Media Summit represents the Americans that mainstream media has neglected

While traveling through the United States on a 3,000-mile motorcycle trip last week, I tuned into the first presidential forum of the 2024 primary season, hosted by Tucker Carlson (a.k.a. the Blaze Media Summit). Glancing at Twitter between gas stops, I was shocked. I don't think I had never seen one network dominate my feed like Blaze Media did that day.

Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, was talking and tweeting about the Summit. Clips from BlazeTV were getting shared by people I would have never expected. For a full 12 hours, it was almost as if Fox News and every other mainstream media outlet didn’t even exist.

I’ve never seen one network dominate my feed like Blaze Media did that day.

I stopped for the night at a small bed and breakfast right outside a Navajo Indian Reservation. The next morning, as I was sitting in the dining area, I overheard two men talking about Tucker’s interview with Mike Pence: “Did you hear what Pence actually had the gall to say to Tucker yesterday?!” I about spit my orange juice out. The coverage wasn’t just going viral on social media. It was quite literally EVERYWHERE… even in this small-town bed and breakfast.

“Did you hear what Pence actually had the gall to say to Tucker yesterday?!”

But it was also just very relatable. What Tucker was bringing out of these interviews was exactly what I was seeing in these small towns, even in the Indian Reservations. When Tucker told Pence that the America we remember is now collapsing, and asked why Ukraine is somehow more important, I remembered the conversation I'd had with a Navajo Nation mom of six. She had been forced to move off the reservation due to the crime and rampant meth problem.

The mainstream media should be terrified.

In another small town, I spoke to a woman in her 60s who lamented the days when her town was full of job opportunities and promise. She told stories of the old factory and how crime didn’t even really exist. Then came the layoffs; then came the shuttered businesses; then came the epidemic of meth and drugs from the Southern border.

This is the America the elitist Left wants to pretend does not exist, but it’s also the America that was talking about, debating, and sharing clips from the Blaze Media Summit. The event spoke to them, and the mainstream media should be terrified.

Tune into Glenn's EXCLUSIVE interview with Tucker Carlson following the first presidential forum of the 2024 primary season

Tucker Carlson will be hosting the first presidential forum of the 2024 Republican primary season this Friday. Immediately following this event, Glenn will join Tucker on stage for an exclusive episode of Glenn TV that you don't want to miss.

Blaze Media is teaming up with the FAMiLY Leader to bring you a one-of-a-kind event featuring our nation's faith and political leaders. Tune in LIVE as Tucker speaks one-on-one with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, U.S. Senator Tim Scott, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson. The livestream will feature commentary about each of Tucker's candidate interviews from BlazeTV personalities including Glenn, Stu Burguiere, Steve Deace, and Sara Gonzales.

Following the presidential forum, stay tuned for a special episode of "Glenn TV," with an intimate conversation with Tucker Carlson that you don’t want to miss.

Click HERE to watch the livestream beginning on July 14 at 9:00 a.m. CT, and be sure to sign up for BlazeTV to watch Glenn's EXCLUSIVE interview with Tucker Carlson.

Order Glenn's NEW book, 'Dark Future' NOW!

Have YOU ordered Glenn's NEW book yet? The second installment of Glenn's Great Reset series, Dark Future: Uncovering the Great Reset's Next Terrifying Phase, just dropped TODAY.

In the first book of the Great Reset series, Joe Biden and the Rise of 21st Century Fascism, Glenn dove into the World Economic Forum's goals of transforming our world into a globalist dystopia--at our freedom's expense. In Dark Future, Glenn shows you how our elites are now acting upon those very same goals, using technology like AI, robotics, the Metaverse, and MORE to bring about this new, TERRIFYING reality.

Read below to find the full description, and click HERE to order Dark Future.

What to expect in Glenn's NEW book, 'Dark Future: Uncovering the Great Reset's Next Terrifying Phase'

At important meetings in 2021 and 2022, powerful leaders from government, finance, media, and business who support the World Economic Forum’s plan for a Great Reset of capitalism launched a new “call to action” titled the “Great Narrative.” The Great Narrative campaign seeks to use the decay of traditional values throughout the West and new and future advancements in technology — including in the areas of artificial intelligence, automation, the metaverse, robotics, and more — to seize control of economies and societies in North America and Europe.

The Great Narrative campaign seeks to use the decay of traditional values throughout the West.

The elites behind these proposals even plan to impact the way people across cultures and the planet understand what it means to be human and to have free will. According to the leaders of the Great Reset and Great Narrative movements, by the year 2030, your world will be fundamentally transformed.

Together, the highly influential and often extremely wealthy figures and institutions behind the Great Narrative are building a troubling new framework for humanity, one that has the potential to change life on Earth forever. Just as worrisome, the Communist Party of China and Vladimir Putin’s authoritarian regime in Russia are adopting technology-centric approaches of their own to control citizens and institutions, both domestically and abroad.

Highly influential figures are building a troubling new framework for humanity, one that has the potential to change life on Earth forever.

In Dark Future: Uncovering the Great Reset’s Terrifying Next Phase, New York Times bestselling authors Glenn Beck and Justin Haskins reveal the most important technologies and social and cultural changes that will soon cause an unprecedented level of disruption in the United States, as well as in countless other nations. They also outline the dangers and opportunities associated with these disruptions and provide a plan to protect individuals and families from losing their liberty.

How the free people of the world react to the challenges outlined in this revolutionary book will change the course of history for generations to come. In this emerging, intense struggle for the future of humankind, whose side will you be on?

Click HERE to order your copy!

Glenn's Bookshelf: 'A History of Scotland'

"Scotland is one of the oldest countries in the world with a vivid and diverse past. Yet the stories and figures that dominate Scottish history - tales of failure, submission, thwarted ambition and tragedy - often badly serve this great nation, overshadowing the rich tapestry of her intricate past."

"Historian Neil Oliver presents a compelling new portrait of Scottish history, peppered with action, high drama and centuries of turbulence that have helped to shape modern Scotland. Along the way, he takes in iconic landmarks and historic architecture; debunks myths surrounding Scotland's famous sons; recalls forgotten battles; charts the growth of patriotism; and explores recent political developments, capturing Scotland's sense of identity and celebrating her place in the wider world." (Amazon Book Review)

To see Glenn's full podcast interview with this book's author, Neil Oliver, click HERE or watch below!

This post is a part of an ongoing series called "Glenn's Bookshelf" Have you ever wondered what topics Glenn is reading about on his own time? Follow the "Glenn's Bookshelf" series to get access to all the books that Glenn is reading.

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