Show 0 O DAY AT HAMD ly MARK EVERTON WOODRUFF alag DAY june 14 reminds that previous fo the so called birth of the flag an american flag believed to be the rattlesnake flag of yellow silk had been raised above the alfred the flag ship of the commander in chief of the navy aleut john paul jones this was december 1775 but when the fleet sailed january 5 1776 a flag was displayed with 12 stripes in the field emblematic of the 13 united colonies later john paul jones is credited with being the first to hoist the stars and stripes over an american man of war the first to snow them in european waters the first to receive and acknowledge a salute to them from a foreign power the first to compel a regular british man of war to strike to them the first to display them on board the first ship of the line built tor the united states which was ampro pria tely christened chrit ened the america another confection con of american womanhood with the growth of the flag is interesting the first flag lecog nihed by a power was of silk made and present ed by the ladies of portsmouth N H it was said to be about 36 feet in the fly john paul jones is author ity for the statement that the same flag flew over the bon homme richard when she fought the he stated that the flag went down with the ship yet a flag is now exhibited in the national museum which is baij to be that of the richard A statement has also been made recently by eminent authority that the ranger was not the first to receive recognition by a foreign power but that the incident was antedated by a simi lar recognition of the flag of the hornet an american vessel fitted out at baltimore by joshua barney later commodore barney an uncertain thing is fame whatever the truth of the various statements the progress of the flag has been continuous the flag of 13 stripes and 13 stars was used at brandywine floated over the surrender of bur goyne cheered the patriots during the dreary winter at valley forge waved at yorktown and shared the re at the close of the war the first change came in 1794 when vermont having been admitted to the union in 1791 and kentucky in 92 a b 11 was presented in congress increasing the number of both stripes and stars to 15 this bill caused much debate but was finally passed and the 15 strip flag was used for 33 years and it was in this form that the flag inspired francis scott key to write the national anthem the star spangled banner in 1818 the number of states had increased to 18 now comes an interesting item in the flags history to mr peter H wendover of new york city we are in debated for the present appearance of the flag mr wendover was a member of congress and on the ath of december 1816 he took up the matter of a perma nent form of the flag his business was that of a sail and flag maker and he realized because of experience the impracticability of adding a stripe as each new state should appear he therefore offered a resolution that a committee be appointed to inquire into the expediency of altering the flag of the united states and that they have to report by bill or otherwise the motion was carried and he was made chairman of the committee to report a law the committee referred the matter to capt samuel reid of new york who had as a privateer distinguished himself by the capture of several british ships As a result the committee presented a report a part of which was in viewing this subject there appears to be a happy coincidence of circumstances in having adopted the sym bols in this flag and a peculiar fitness of things in ma 1 ing the proposed alteration in that part designed at a distance to characterize our country and which ought tor the inborn aaion of other nations to appear conspicuous and remain permanent you present the num her of states that burst the bonds of oppression and achieved our independence while in the part intended for the nearer or home view you see a representation of oui happy union as it now exists and space sufficient to embrace the symbols of those who may hereafter join arder our banner thereupon congress enacted the flag law in 1818 and the f flag in its present form was made by the wife of capt reid assisted by a number of ladles at her residence in cherry street new york city this flag had 21 stars and it was provided further by congress that a star should be added upon the addition of each new state rhe plan of arranging the stars in rows was also adopted the flag now has 46 stars and it Is notable that it has never had one taken from it the government main kalning during the chil conflict in the sixties that the tie which binds the states cannot be severed although the flag has passed through three foreign wars it has never defeat never been trailed in the dust of dishonor some of the uses to which it is sometimes put at home however are not suggestive oi the highest respect but 34 states and territories now have laws making it a misdemeanor punishable with fine and imprisonment or both to place any inscription or picture upon the flag and two bills are before con gress with a similar purpose one being passed by the senate at the session just closed on the fourth of july of last year another star added and oklahoma took her place in the gal axy of states the sun never sets upon old glory and this was true before the acquisition of the philip pines the aleutian islands a part of alaska extending so far west that when the sun sinks below the horizon it is just rising from the sea at eastport East port me countless anecdotes might be related of devotion to the flag and of personal sacrifices made tor its breser women as well as men have exhibited sublime heroism when the flag was in danger and the pies for which it stands have earned for it and for the country the respect of all the world one of the least known yet most precious of the his american flags now in existence ia what is familiarly known in the ancient commonwealth of massachusetts as the bedford flag when the concord hymn by the sage of concord ralph waldo emerson first appeared exceptions were to the line their flag to aprils breeze unfurled the critics maintaining that the little band of farmers who assembled at the old north bridge at concord the historic 0 april 1775 and fired the shot heard round the world had no flag As in many other proven instances the critics were mistaken there was a flag at concord and that flag is still in existence it was carried by nathaniel page jr one of the minute men of bedford adjoining town this flag was stored in an attic in the old home of the pages for many years and was thought so little of by its owners that upon one occasion a daughter of the house is said to have used a portion of the gold fringe which bor alered it to decorate a costume for a masquerade party on the occasion of the centennial anniversary of the concord fight in 1775 the old flag was again brought to light and carried in the procession which was part of the celebration of the anniversary |