This Sunday, the United States celebrates the stars and stripes with the annual holiday of Flag Day. Even though there's a ton of unrest throughout country, with contentious protests against systemic racism and police brutality happening all over, Americans everywhere would do well to remember that the stars and stripes of the U.S. flag represent hope and freedom from oppression.
The origins of the first American flag date back all the way to the Revolutionary War, and involve the nation's founding father, George Washington. The story goes that while he was leading the Continental Army, Washington tasked seamstress Betsy Ross with making a flag for the American cause. Though scholars credit author Francis Hopkinson for coming up with the design, Ross definitely sewed together some of the earliest flags, according to the Library of Congress.
Not too long after, the U.S. adopted the red, white and blue flag as its own national symbol. On June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress approved the design of the official American Flag, which had 13 red and white stripes, to symbolize the original 13 colonies.
Centuries later, in 1949, President Harry Truman proclaimed June 14 to be Flag Day. Today, if you're in need of some inspiration to make this year's Flag Day feel special, check out these enlightening and patriotic quotes:
"Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it." — Mark Twain
"O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave/O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?" — Francis Scott Key's "The Star Spangled Banner"
"The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it—and the glow from that fire can truly light the world." — John F. Kennedy
"You're the emblem of the land I love, the home of the free and the brave." — George M. Cohan's "You're a Grand Old Flag"
"As long as I live, I will never forget that day 21 years ago when I raised my hand and took the oath of citizenship. Do you know how proud I was? I was so proud that I walked around with an American flag around my shoulders all day long." — Arnold Schwarzenegger, Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story
"I believe our flag is more than just cloth and ink. It is a universally recognized symbol that stands for liberty, and freedom. It is the history of our nation, and it's marked by the blood of those who died defending it." — Senator John Thune of South Dakota
"We identify the flag with almost everything we hold dear on earth, peace, security, liberty, our family, our friends, our home... But when we look at our flag and behold it emblazoned with all our rights we must remember that it is equally a symbol of our duties. Every glory that we associate with it is the result of duty done." — Calvin Coolidge
"I'm proud of the U.S.A. We've done some amazing things. To wear our flag in the Olympics is an honor." — Shaun White
"When we honor our flag, we honor what we stand for as a nation—freedom, equality, justice, and hope." — Ronald Reagan
"We take the star 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 shall go down to posterity representing liberty." — George Washington
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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