Flag Day
Ladies and gentlemen, I first of all must say that I am very thankful to be here today, and that we all are here on this auspicious occasion as we celebrate Flag Day. This is a day set aside for all proud citizens of the United States of America to celebrate and honor our national flag. Our flag represents our independence, our unending unity as a nation under God and our persistent determination and commitment to hard work to carry this nation to even greater heights and prosperity.
Every Fourth of July, we celebrate the birth of our great nation. In the year 1885, a patriotic school teacher in a public school in Fredonia, Wisconsin arranged for his students to observe the 14th of June as the birthday of our national flag. That day marked the end of one hundred and eight years since Stars and Stripes were adopted as the banner of our great nation. This noble ritual was again repeated courtesy of kindergarten teacher George Balch in New York City. The idea of observing the 14th of June as Flag Day was later to be officially to be adopted by the New York State Board of Education (Scot, 1999).
In the year 1891, Betsy Rose House in Philadelphia observed Flag Day on June 14th. One year later, the New York Society of the Sons of the Revolution held a Flag Day celebration. In 1893, Colonel Granville Leach of the Pennsylvania Society of the Sons of the Revolution persuaded the Pennsylvania Society of the Dames of America to entrench a resolution to petition the mayor and all the relevant authorities and citizens in the state to display the national flag on the 14th of June that year. It was in fact Colonel Leach who suggested that the 14th day of June every year to be named Flag Day. When the day dawned, school children in Pennsylvania assembled for the celebration with each holding a small flag. There was singing of songs of patriotism and delivery of moving speeches.
In 1894, patriots in Illinois formed the American Flag Day Association with the purpose of pushing for the celebration of Flag Day as a national holiday. The then New York Governor David Hill issued a directive requiring that the national flag be displayed in all public building every 14th of June. This was the momentum the pushers of the initiative needed and for almost three decades, Flag Day Celebrations were held both locally and in various states.
The president of the United States of America in that time, Woodrow Wilson was much inspired by these acts of patriotism and on the 30th of May 1916, he signed a proclamation tat effectively established the 16th of June, as Flag Day. Since then, Americans have patriotically celebrated the anniversary of the 1777 resolution that adopted the Stars and Stripes in our national flag (Scot, 1999).
That, ladies and gentlemen, is a brief history of Flag Day. Some people may ask, What is the essence of celebrating our flag Others may dismiss the flag as just a mere symbol or a piece of cloth. But the essence of observing Flag Day has a far much deeper significance. Our flag is a symbol of the most precious gift this great nation has given us the gift of freedom. That freedom includes the freedom of protest o course, but those protesting should do so peacefully and respectful of the founders of our nation and all the generations of Americans who have put so much effort in making our nation the pillar of strength it is today. As long as our flag flies, our nation will remain free. Furthermore, the flag not only symbolizes the freedom we enjoy it represents who we are, and what we are is what enables us to have the power and to be at liberty to define our destinies (Scot, 1999). Every American is empowered to earn a living in by engaging in any legal profession, be it in teaching, journalism or in medicine, and it is because our nation bestows unto us these opportunities.
The origin of this celebration we are having is notable. It is a showcase of what America can offer. Someone somewhere conceived a noble idea, shared it within his immediate neighborhood and after a little organization the idea bore a national celebration, firmly entrenched in our constitution. In my opinion, that is a perfect manifestation of the democracy that governs us and the process we have come through as a nation to be what we are today. It represents the fruits of those who died fighting for the freedom of our people, a fight that determined and shaped our destiny. The flag of the United States of America is an embodiment of the spirit exhibited by its people the heart and strength that makes us always rise to our feet when our nation is at the lowest of spirit and the direst of circumstances. It is a great pity that some have spitted on our flag and torched it not realizing the freedom and liberty it represents is actually what allows the to protest at it. If only they could be bestowed with knowledge to perceive the amount of blood that was shed so that hey may have those rights they enjoy
Directly quoting President Woodrow Wilson, The flag is the embodiment, not of sentiment, but of history. It represents the experiences made by men and women who live under that flag. This cannot be any more precise Our flag represents the more millions of Americans who have fought wars for the benefit of not only this nation, but for mankind as well. It is a symbol of our liberation from tyranny, slavery and terrorism. It represents the milestones we have achieved in industrialization, space exploration, and applicable technology and the gains in our economy. It represents the priority we give to equality and human rights and universal adult suffrage (Scot, 1999). It represents the diversity in the citizens of this beloved country of ours, a country where every citizen regardless of race, religion, opinion or background can achieve and live the American dream. It is what makes us all proud citizens of America.
To put in a single statement, our flag represents us. It is therefore our responsibility to continue flying it high as our tribute to the founding fathers of this great nation, the millions that have served for its sake and to our children, born or unborn. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your attention, God bless our flag and God bless the United States of America.
Every Fourth of July, we celebrate the birth of our great nation. In the year 1885, a patriotic school teacher in a public school in Fredonia, Wisconsin arranged for his students to observe the 14th of June as the birthday of our national flag. That day marked the end of one hundred and eight years since Stars and Stripes were adopted as the banner of our great nation. This noble ritual was again repeated courtesy of kindergarten teacher George Balch in New York City. The idea of observing the 14th of June as Flag Day was later to be officially to be adopted by the New York State Board of Education (Scot, 1999).
In the year 1891, Betsy Rose House in Philadelphia observed Flag Day on June 14th. One year later, the New York Society of the Sons of the Revolution held a Flag Day celebration. In 1893, Colonel Granville Leach of the Pennsylvania Society of the Sons of the Revolution persuaded the Pennsylvania Society of the Dames of America to entrench a resolution to petition the mayor and all the relevant authorities and citizens in the state to display the national flag on the 14th of June that year. It was in fact Colonel Leach who suggested that the 14th day of June every year to be named Flag Day. When the day dawned, school children in Pennsylvania assembled for the celebration with each holding a small flag. There was singing of songs of patriotism and delivery of moving speeches.
In 1894, patriots in Illinois formed the American Flag Day Association with the purpose of pushing for the celebration of Flag Day as a national holiday. The then New York Governor David Hill issued a directive requiring that the national flag be displayed in all public building every 14th of June. This was the momentum the pushers of the initiative needed and for almost three decades, Flag Day Celebrations were held both locally and in various states.
The president of the United States of America in that time, Woodrow Wilson was much inspired by these acts of patriotism and on the 30th of May 1916, he signed a proclamation tat effectively established the 16th of June, as Flag Day. Since then, Americans have patriotically celebrated the anniversary of the 1777 resolution that adopted the Stars and Stripes in our national flag (Scot, 1999).
That, ladies and gentlemen, is a brief history of Flag Day. Some people may ask, What is the essence of celebrating our flag Others may dismiss the flag as just a mere symbol or a piece of cloth. But the essence of observing Flag Day has a far much deeper significance. Our flag is a symbol of the most precious gift this great nation has given us the gift of freedom. That freedom includes the freedom of protest o course, but those protesting should do so peacefully and respectful of the founders of our nation and all the generations of Americans who have put so much effort in making our nation the pillar of strength it is today. As long as our flag flies, our nation will remain free. Furthermore, the flag not only symbolizes the freedom we enjoy it represents who we are, and what we are is what enables us to have the power and to be at liberty to define our destinies (Scot, 1999). Every American is empowered to earn a living in by engaging in any legal profession, be it in teaching, journalism or in medicine, and it is because our nation bestows unto us these opportunities.
The origin of this celebration we are having is notable. It is a showcase of what America can offer. Someone somewhere conceived a noble idea, shared it within his immediate neighborhood and after a little organization the idea bore a national celebration, firmly entrenched in our constitution. In my opinion, that is a perfect manifestation of the democracy that governs us and the process we have come through as a nation to be what we are today. It represents the fruits of those who died fighting for the freedom of our people, a fight that determined and shaped our destiny. The flag of the United States of America is an embodiment of the spirit exhibited by its people the heart and strength that makes us always rise to our feet when our nation is at the lowest of spirit and the direst of circumstances. It is a great pity that some have spitted on our flag and torched it not realizing the freedom and liberty it represents is actually what allows the to protest at it. If only they could be bestowed with knowledge to perceive the amount of blood that was shed so that hey may have those rights they enjoy
Directly quoting President Woodrow Wilson, The flag is the embodiment, not of sentiment, but of history. It represents the experiences made by men and women who live under that flag. This cannot be any more precise Our flag represents the more millions of Americans who have fought wars for the benefit of not only this nation, but for mankind as well. It is a symbol of our liberation from tyranny, slavery and terrorism. It represents the milestones we have achieved in industrialization, space exploration, and applicable technology and the gains in our economy. It represents the priority we give to equality and human rights and universal adult suffrage (Scot, 1999). It represents the diversity in the citizens of this beloved country of ours, a country where every citizen regardless of race, religion, opinion or background can achieve and live the American dream. It is what makes us all proud citizens of America.
To put in a single statement, our flag represents us. It is therefore our responsibility to continue flying it high as our tribute to the founding fathers of this great nation, the millions that have served for its sake and to our children, born or unborn. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your attention, God bless our flag and God bless the United States of America.
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