| Show The lh e Sl Sir Sia ar r Spa n q I ed edn Banner n 11 e It t fit u 4 J 1 2 0 Lf j Let it rise Le Let it r rise sel till it meet the Sun i in his h 5 coming let the earliest of the morning gild it and the parting d doy lJ I. I linger and d pay pIat I on I t it its 5 summit I I i ft t e e. e K r w. w HIM IV to many historians historians his his- I 1 there were several sev soy Lt era eral ce ceremonies celebrating ing lag the first sc anniversary of American Independence on July 4 1777 1717 says thet tho the t Detroit News The records rec ree- show that at noonon noonon noon noonon on Unit that day the armed ships and galleys In the Delaware river at Philadelphia flew fiew the colors of ot the United States On the same day dayn daya n a flag bee was held by the young ladles ladies of ot Portsmouth N. N H. H who with much patriotic enthusiasm and many heart thrills wrought out ut of ot their own and their mothers mothers' gowns a beautiful Star Spangled Banner This coincides with a report that the Stars and Stripes were hoisted aloft on the vessel Raleigh in Portsmouth Portsmouth Portsmouth Ports Ports- mouth harbor on that date It n was more than years ago that Colonel Gansevoort and his lIttIe littie little lit lIt- tIe tle command of men were defending defendIng de do- fending Fort Stanwix near the present pros pres ent eat site of ot Rome N. N Y They had just heard beard that congress had passed a resolution authorizing the use of or orthe the Stars and Stripes They had no flag of or the new pattern pat pat- tern The garrison was waB ransacked for Cor material they could fashion into the new design A blue cloth cIoth coat was wag offered by Captain to form form the blue union A soldiers soldier's wife wIre donated a red petticoat for tor forthe forthe the red stripes and the soldiers ripped their ammunition shirts to th supply the white stripes It was not a handsome banner but It thrilled the hearts of Its makers as they hey placed It on a bastion nearest nearest nearest near near- est to the attacking British and allied allied allied al al- al- al lied troops This Tills Is the first time so far as the available records show that the Stars and Stripes were actually dis dis- clis- clis played before a hostile and threatening threatening threat threat- I ening enemy August 3 1777 The official birthday of or the Stars Stare and Stripes was June 14 1777 when the Continental congress pas passed ed a n resolution That the flag of ot the 13 United States bo be 18 13 stripes alternate alternate alter alter- nate red and white that the union bo be 13 stars stare white in a blue field representing a new constellation Nearly six months before the adoption of ot the flag by congress George Washington crossed tho Delaware Delaware Del Del- aware and captured 1000 Hessians in his brilliant attack on Trenton Artists of the time showed tho the Father Fa Father Fa- Fa ther of ot Our Country crossing the river in a boat displaying the familiar fa In- design of ot the Stars and Stripes Apart tro from this doubtful evidence which may have orIgInated originated mate mate-I in the tho artists' artists imagination there Is B nothing to prove that the Stars and Stripes was In use at this tills time Many theories as to the true origin of our National flag have been advanced none of ot which have been definitely proved Some believe believe be be- lieve It Is an adoption of at the coat coat- arms of-arms of ot the tho Washington tam family ny which contains both stars and d stripes Others credit Betsy Ross with the creation of the design Others maintain the idea for tor the flag came from the Netherlands The fact that Francis Hopkinson one of ot tho the signers of ot the Declara Declare tIon of Independence submitted a n abill abill bill to congress In 1770 1779 for the tho designing of the flag of ot the United States of America lends color to the belief that he was Its creator The United States flag has had 48 stars only since July 1 J 1012 the Independence day following the admission admission ad ad- I mission of the last two states New I Mexico and Arizona I |
