The Flag of the United States is very important to people and it has changed so many times over the years. But, my question is why is it so important and why was it changed as many times as it was? While reading this document on the American Flag you will read about all different parts and important facts like who created the first one, what the symbols represent, why do we need a flag, what’s the purpose and also so much more. The flag has been around for a very long time and is a really important patriotic symbol. The study of the history and symbolism of flags is called vexillology. The symbols used on flags go back thousands of years. Crescents and stars are some of the more common ones. Stars on flags usually stand for unity. Most flags …show more content…
One way to respect it would be to only fly it during the day, and if you are going to fly it at night you need to light it up with a spot light or something bright. The flag should be raised briskly and lowered slowly. When folding the flag to place on a casket you must fold it properly and when placed on top of a casket you should only be able to see the blue field with the white stars on it. There are three rules of the American Flag and they are, no part should ever touch the ground, it should never be dipped to any person or thing, and should never be displayed with the blue field facing downwards.These are just some of the many many ways that you can properly treat and respect the American flag. In previous paragraphs I have talked about proper ways to respect the flag and, one other way is to properly dispose of it. They can be cleaned and mended. When they get to the point where they are too worn to be displayed they need to be destroyed respectfully like being burned. When burning you should first fold the flag and then carefully place it on the fire. There is also a punishment for desecrating the American flag in which you could be fined, go to jail for a year, or even both. Some of these actions include defacing, mutilating, and trampling upon any American
I believe people lack respect for the flag and what it stands for. Although most people are proud to be an American, some don’t understand what it truly means to be an American. The flag has a history, and should be respected because of that history. Although most believe that respect should be earned, our flag has earned this many times over. And I believe that our flag is taken for granted.
For more than 200 years, the American flag has been a big part of the United States. Betsy Ross had been the first, reportedly, to make the American flag. It originally had thirteen stars, representing the first thirteen colonies, but later it ended up with fifty to represent the states in the Union. It is a symbol of our
The colors red, white and blue did not have any real significance in America until their rights for freedom and territory were challenged. "The American flag played no significant role in American life until the Civil War, during the fight at Fort Sumter" (Goldstein 1). Then, to all northerners it became a symbol of pride and an object of "public adoration" (1). The flag was held in such high esteem that the Flag Protection Movement was created in 1890 so that there would be no commercialism of the object(2). The FPM felt as though politicians and merchants were "prostituting" the flag so, in 1900 they joined with the American Flag Association and made a set...
To the Majority Opinion it’s a flag of our nation but to the Dissenting opinion its means more than just a flag. It means “White signifies purity and innocence, Red, hardiness & velour, and Blue, the color of the Chief (the broad band above the stripes) signifies vigilance, perseverance & justice." In this case the Dissenting opinion gave reasons why flag burning should be banned. Eventually Congress passed the Flag Protection Act of 1989. The Act banned flag burning regardless of whether the person burning the flag intended to cause offense to
In order to help answer this question let’s being by defining what a flag is. The proponents (veterans, Citizens Flag Alliance, and other organizations of this type) of the amendment for protection of the flag define the flag as a “cultural artifact with meaning significance, and usage determined by the particular system employing it (Guenter 18).” Some flag historians have recognized the impact of culture on the shifting significance and usage of the national banner, although no one has ventured a full-scale probe of the subject (Guenter 16). The flag in the beginning was a symbol of freedom and enlightenment. The flag design has even changed. The very first flag contained thirteen stars that were in a circle with the red and white stripes. As the nation grew so did the flag, until the flag became what we know of it today.
Some people see the American flag as patriotism. These people are the ones who have their flags out all year around. The ones who always have them flying high. Some of these people even have American flags hanging off their cars. To some people the American flag is their son or daughter who they have lost either in the line of duty in the military, on the police force, or even the fire department. Although its sad but true some Americans have no patriotism and could care less what happens around them. These people will only care if it affects them in a harmful way.
The flag of the United States symbolizes our nation and more.The colors of the flag were not just chosen randomly, but with meanings behind it. The specific colors wanted to be able to symbolize our country with powerful words behind it. The separate colors must be able to unite everyone as one. The flag should represent the nation, so there should
For those who want to light Old Glory on fire, stomp all over it, or spit on it to make some sort of "statement," I say let them do it. But under one condition: they MUST get permission from three sponsors. First, you need permission of a war veteran. Perhaps a Marine who fought at Iwo Jima? The American flag was raised over Mount Surabachi upon the bodies of thousands of dead buddies. Each night spent on Iwo meant half of everyone you knew would be dead tomorrow, a coin flip away from a bloody end upon a patch of sand your mother couldn't find on a map.
First I would like to include some information about our american flag and how it came about. In the British colonies of North America before the Revolution, each of the 13 colonies had its flag. On Jan. 2, 1776, the first flag of the United States was raised at Cambridge, Mass., by George Washington. Known as the Grand Union flag, it consisted of 13 stripes, alternate red and white, with a blue canton bearing the crosses of St. George and St. Andrew. Congress, on June 14, 1777, enacted a resolution “that the Flag of the United States be 13 stripes alternate red and white, that the Union be 13 stars white in a blue field representing a new constellation.” On Jan. 13, 1794, Vermont and Kentucky having been admitted to the Union, Congress added a stripe and a star for each state. Congress in 1818 enacted that the 13 stripes, denoting the 13 original colonies, be restored and a star added to the blue canton for each state after its admission to the Union. All of the states and territories of the United States also have their own flags. Betsy Ross created the first flag. Betsy would often tell her children, grandchildren, relatives, and friends of the fateful day when three members of a secret committee from the Continental Congress came to call upon her. Those representatives, George Washington, Robert Morris, and George Ross, asked her to sew the first flag. This meeting occurred in her home some time late in May 1776. George Washington was then the head of the Continen...
The Confederate flag was used symbolically during the Civil War. For Southerner’s, the flag represented a source of southern pride as well as a way of remembering the fallen Confederates. As the Civil War proceeded, the meaning of the flag began to change. Currently, the flag is being used as a symbol of racism. Due to this change in meaning, controversy over the flag has been exponentially growing.
Many people are very offended by burning America’s “national symbol” and view the act as “un-patriotic” and extremely disrespectfu8l towards the nation, its history and heritage. Many Americans believed that flag burning and desecration should be criminalized. However, other citizens believe that flag desecration is protected under the constitution and should be legal.
73% of students I surveyed said they were familiar with proper flag etiquette when they were questioned. Flag Protocol is defined as the proper placement, handling, and use of flags. Obviously burning a flag is not the proper protocol. In the U.S. flag Code, it states, “No disrespect should be shown to the Flag of the United States of America. Therefore, actions not specifically included in the Code may be deemed acceptable as long as proper respect is shown.” Torching a flag is disrespectful and as said in the code, no disrespect should be shown. The flag code was embraced on June 14 1924, which is Flag Day. While the flag code was set in place to acknowledge the correct handling and display of the American flag, it does not enforce penalties for abuse of the United States flag.
The symbolism of the Flag was thus interpreted by Washington: “We take the stars 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.”
The people who are against flag burning seem to generally be those who have served this country through war and through other such ways. They are older people who believe that this country is quite wonderful if not almost perfect. They have a strong sense of patriotism to this country and would die for what it stands for: liberty and freedom. They could compare it to the burning of crosses in front of a church or to the way the Nazis turned a very beautiful symbol into a racial and religious hate badge for murderers. Disrespect for tradition is what it boils down to. From a young age we are conditioned to blindly respect that flag hanging from a pole and to pledge out allegiance to it without even knowing what it truly is. It has been tradition for at least three generations. People who have been prisoners of war or people who fought for this country have a reason to respect it so much. The have fought long and hard for what we have and respect it. Some of our generation doesn’t realize how lucky we have it.
This flag has been a relentless symbol of victory and freedom for millions of Americans over the last few hundred years. It has also been a symbol to the rest of the world of a new way of living. A way that a young new nation that isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. On June 14th, 1777, shortly after this newly found nation known as, “The United States of America” was founded, the continental Congress passed