America is a nation founded on the principle that all individuals are equal, endowed with unalienable rights by their Creator. This core belief defines the country’s identity and drives its constitutional republican self-government.
The national flag of the United States, first specified by the Second Continental Congress on June 14, 1777, symbolizes this unity. The Flag Resolution described it as having “thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.” Over time, stars have been added to represent new states joining the union.
The Pledge of Allegiance was initially written in 1885 by Captain George Balch and revised in 1892 by Francis Bellamy. It gained prominence during a campaign to place American flags in classrooms. On October 21, 1892, over ten thousand school children recited:
“I pledge allegiance to my flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
In 1954, President Eisenhower supported adding “under God” to emphasize the divine nature of rights and contrast with communist atheism during the Cold War. The current version reads:
“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
Flag Day commemorates the enactment of the Flag Resolution in 1777. However, every day serves as an opportunity to reflect on what the flag represents. As George M. Cohan expressed:
“You’re a grand old flag; you’re a high flying flag; And forever in peace may you wave. You’re the emblem of the land I love; The home of the free and the brave.”