Personally the flag means a lot to me and definitely means more to those who join the forces and give their life to protect what it stands for. To me the flag means I start with a leg up against the citizens of other countries and that there is an army to protect me and my way of life. The flag means I can sleep safe without worrying about the next country coming in to my house, land, or life. When I was born I started out better and will get more stability while I'm growing up. The only reason I can say that is because of the flag. The flag which me those freedoms. Being born under it gives me a chance for all the freedoms it represents and protects. The flag stands for all that but also when I think of the American flag the first thing I
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.
Stripes and stars forever, right? Well, what exactly does that mean? The American Flag can be seen almost anywhere. From the high-school, to the ball park, and even in our homes, the American flag stands as a symbol of all that is good and true in America. When one thinks of the flag, they usually think of the blood that was shed for this country. It was shed so that we could have liberties, such as, freedom of speech and expression, which fall under the first amendment rights of the Constitution. However, when you think of a burning flag, what comes to mind? One might say it shows disrespect and hatred to a country that has given so much. In the case of Texas v. Johnson, Gregory Lee Johnson was accused of desecrating a sacred object, but, his actions were protected by the First Amendment. Although his actions may have been offensive, he did not utter fighting words. By burning the flag, Johnson did not infringe upon another's natural human rights. He was simply expressing his outrage towards the government, which is within the jurisdiction of the First Amendment.
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 begin 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 changed.
Some have seen friends and family get tortured and murdered by their own government for daring to do things we take for granted every day. For those who risked everything simply for the chance to become an American....what kind of feelings do they have for the flag when they Pledge Allegiance the first time? Go to a naturalization ceremony and see for yourself, the tears of pride, the thanks, the love and respect of this nation, as they finally embrace the American flag as their own. Ask one of them if it would be OK to tear up the flag.
Have you ever heard the saying, "Don't judge a book by it's cover"? There are many things that look very unpleasing on the outside but actually have a meaning bigger than just our lives. Something that has a special meaning to me is the American Flag. Imagine a dirty, old flag that is still standing after a war that many soldiers have lost their life for. Thinking about that gives the flag a bigger meaning than just old cloth. The flag stands for all of Americans loyalty to their country. It also represents the hardships our country has overcome over many decades. The American Flag stands for everybody that has fought and died for our country. One of the biggest things the flag stands for is the loyalty of our people.
However, some southerners would argue that the initial meaning of the Confederate flag had little association to anything (Prince, n.d.). The flag initially was viewed by many southern natives as a symbol of southern heritage and pride (World Book Student, 2016). As mentioned above, the flag was flown during the Civil War when southern states were attempting to secede from the northern states. For this reason, the flag is symbolic to southern natives because it symbolizes the beliefs of their ancestors; beliefs that many lost their lives for. Therefor, the flag presents a symbol of southern pride and
...cable. A country's flag is a symbol of more than "nationhood and national unity." It also signifies the ideas that characterize the society that has chosen that emblem as well as the special history that has animated the growth and power of those ideas.
Flag Burning can be and usually is a very controversial issue. Many people are offended by the thought of destroying this country's symbol of liberty and freedom. During a political protest during the 1984 Republican Convention, Gregory Lee Johnson was arrested for burning an American flag. Years later in 1989, Johnson got the decision overturned by the United States Supreme Court. In the same year, the state of Texas passed the Flag Protection Act, which prohibited any form of desecration against the American flag. This act provoked many people to protest and burn flags anyway. Two protestors, Shawn Eichman and Mark Haggerty were charged with violating the law and arrested. Both Eichman and Haggerty appealed the decision because the law was inconsistent with the first amendment to the Constitution. The right to petition the government for a redress of grievances is protected by the first amendment of the Constitution. Burning American flags and other such actions are not treasonous and should no be treated as so, as long as these actions are done to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
During the Vietnam War, activists ironically demolished the flag to bring back the men fighting overseas. The same men who were fighting for the freedoms of Americans and the symbol of America. These soldiers believed in America as a country and the flag as a badge of democracy and freedom so much, they risked their lives and almost 60,000 American soldiers died to preserve America’s freedoms.
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 United States flag bears three different unique and patriotic colors significant to the United States of America. These colors include; red, blue, and white. The stripes alternating between red and white. There are 13 stripes in total symbolizing the 13 British colonies that became free from the Kingdom of Great Britain. The red stripes also represent the 7 continents of the world. Moving onto the upper left side of the flag, you will see a blue square which symbolized the Union. Inside, there are 50 stars which exemplify the 50 states in the United States. The flag is used to show the patriotism shown in the United States of America. Recognizing the independence we had gained and the freedom and liberty we have created. Usually many American citizens will fly their flags year round inside their private homes, but its most widespread during holidays like Memorial Day, Veteran's Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, and President’s Day.
Even though I am a flag that many people look up to I still have my own heroes. No my heroes are not Superman and Batman; they are all of the military and ex-military men and women in the United States. About forty-two million people have died fighting to keep me as your flag. Not a second goes by without me thinking of and thanking them for giving their lives for my country and me.
The Importance of Freedom Exposed in Anthem & nbsp; In the novel Anthem, Ayn Rand writes about the future of the dark ages. Anthem takes place in a technologically backwards totalitarian society, where mankind is born in the home of the infants and dies in the home of the useless. Just imagine, being born into a life of slavery, having no freedom, no way of self expression, no ego. The city represents slavery. When in the city, Equality was guilty of many transgressions.
Being an American comes with great opportunities and freedoms. One of those freedoms is a person’s right to fly the American Flag. Not only is this a right that many Americans express, I believe it is one that they should. There are many reasons that the American flag should be flown, and one of those reasons is to support our current troops. All of our troops are fighting for our freedom. They go day to day doing all they can to keep this country safe. These troops leave everything they have at home, including their loved ones, just to fight for our country. The least we can do, as the people they are fighting for, is show some respect by flying the flag of their country. On top of the current troops, flying the flag shows gratitude to those who have fought and have returned home. I am sure it is one of the greatest feelings coming home after being away for so long. Not every soldier's experience is a good one, but if they get to return home, they deserve to be thanked for their sacrifice. Those who do come home on good terms at the end of a tour, also deserve to see the flag flying, thanking them and showing them the gratitude of their country. Along with current and past