Today is June 14 – Flag Day!

Flags are an object of national attention; the Bible also pays great attention to them:

• Prepare the way for the people; lift up a flag for the nations. ISAIAH 62:10
• He lifts up a flag for the distant nations; He whistles for those at the ends of the earth, and here they come, swiftly and speedily! ISAIAH 5:26
• His banner over me is love. SONG OF SOLOMON 2:4
• You have given a banner to those who fear you, to be displayed because of the truth. PSALM 60:4

The American flag came into being on June 14, 1777, when a resolution was passed in the Continental Congress stipulating “that the flag of the thirteen United States shall be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white on a blue field, representing a new constellation.” Hence was birthed the official American flag – and the original Flag Day.

It was 108 year later, in 1885, that a Wisconsin schoolteacher had his pupils observe June 14 as “Flag Birthday,” or “Flag Day.” By 1891, the New York State Board of Education had adopted the practice, as had the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia. The idea caught on, and across the country, school children assembled on June 14, carrying small flags as patriotic songs were sung and speeches delivered. In fact, in 1894, over 300,000 children celebrated Flag Day in Chicago’s city parks.

In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a presidential proclamation calling for the national celebration of Flag Day (see the poster printed the next year for Flag Day, 1917); and in 1949, President Harry Truman signed into federal law a congressional act establishing each June 14 as National Flag Day.

Flag Day is a harbinger of Independence Day – now only three weeks away. In preparation for the Fourth of July, we are offering several items at a special, limited-time 20% discount that includes these Fourth of July books …

• Celebrate Liberty ! (a reprint of ten famous patriotic Fourth of July orations),
• The Spirit of the American Revolution
• Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence and
• Wives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence

  as well as the CDs and MP3s of
  

• ” America ’s Birthday“ (1 CD) and
• “Spirit of the American Revolution“ (a special 2-CD set). 

Educate yourself on the greatness of America’s founding, and inspire others with a patriotic oration at your church or civic group on July 4th! In the meantime . . .

Happy Flag Day!

God Bless!

David Barton