by Marcus Willock

Created on: June 15, 2008

The freedoms and liberties of United States citizens can be represented in one symbol, the American flag. When considering the importance this symbol holds in the hearts of the American people, it is only natural that there be a special day to commemorate its adaptation to the nation. This day is June 14th, which is commonly known as Flag Day. Though the flag was adopted on June 14, 1777, Flag Day was not regarded as a national holiday until the year 1949.

Flag Day has been observed sporadically throughout the nation between the years 1777 and 1949. The first formal acknowledgement of Flag Day was in 1885 at a grade school in Waubeka, Wisconsin. A teacher, by the name of Bernard Cigrand, took it upon himself to celebrate the adaptation of the American flag at his school. This same teacher also went around the nation giving speeches about the need of an annual day of acknowledgement for the American flag.

A year later, he proposed an annual observance of the flag in a Chicago newspaper. The article was titled "The Fourteenth of June." Soon after, he preached this holiday to the Sons of Liberty.' Eventually, he became the editor-in-chief of their magazine, which was called the American Standard. While in Chicago, he wrote numerous articles promoting Flag Day that were published in both magazines and newspapers. As a result of his lobbying, Chicago became one of the first states to annually observe Flag Day. In June of 1894, more than 300,000 children could be found in a park celebrating the American flag.

Another person responsible for the birth of Flag Day is a New York kindergarten teacher by the name of George Balch. On June 14 of the year 1889, he created a number of ceremonies that the children of his school performed in celebration of what is now known as Flag Day. These ceremonies were later adopted by the State Board of Education of New York and incorporated in the public school system.

Word of Flag Day spread rapidly. In 1893, the Mayor of Philadelphia received a suggestion asking him and all other authority figures to display the flag on June 14. This suggestion also recommended that June 14th be known as Flag Day and that, on this day, school children should be assembled to engage in a Flag Day ceremony. The following year, the governor of New York encouraged the people of his city to display a flag in all public buildings in honor of Flag Day.

After decades of being observed, the White House began to take notice of the celebrations occurring on the 14th of June. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson officially established June 14th as Flag Day. With this, the knowledge and popularity of Flag Day continued to flourish. In August of the year 1949, President Truman signed an Act of Congress that established Flag Day as a national holiday.

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