Every June 14, America marks Flag Day — the birthday of the Stars and Stripes. It’s one of the quieter patriotic holidays, but it honors the single most recognizable symbol of the country. Here’s the story behind the flag, and the etiquette rules every patriot should know for flying it right.
What Is Flag Day?
Flag Day commemorates June 14, 1777, the day the Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes as the official flag of the new United States. It isn’t a federal holiday, so it slips past a lot of people — but for anyone who takes pride in the flag, it’s a day worth marking. The design has changed with the country: stars were added as new states joined, growing from the original thirteen to today’s fifty.
The Meaning in the Colors
The flag’s colors were chosen with intent, and the meaning has been described this way for generations:
- Red — valor and bravery
- White — purity and innocence
- Blue — vigilance, perseverance, and justice
Thirteen stripes for the thirteen original colonies. Fifty stars for the fifty states. It’s a whole country stitched into a single banner.
Flag Etiquette: How to Fly It Right
Respect for the flag is spelled out in the U.S. Flag Code. You won’t get arrested for breaking it, but knowing the basics is a mark of a true patriot:
- Sunrise to sunset. Fly the flag from sunrise to sunset outdoors — unless it’s properly illuminated, in which case it can fly around the clock.
- Weather matters. Take it down in bad weather, unless it’s an all-weather flag.
- Never let it touch the ground. The flag shouldn’t touch anything beneath it — ground, floor, or water.
- Half-staff has rules. Raise it briskly to the top first, then lower it to half-staff. Reverse the order when taking it down.
- Union up. The blue field of stars always goes to the flag’s own right (the observer’s left) — never display it upside down except as a signal of dire distress.
- Retire it with honor. When a flag is worn beyond repair, it should be retired respectfully, traditionally by burning in a dignified ceremony. Many VFW posts and scout troops will do this for you.
Show the Colors Year-Round
Flying the flag is the classic way to honor it, but patriots carry the colors in more ways than one — on apparel, on the wall, in the everyday. However you show them, do it with the respect the flag has earned over nearly 250 years.
Looking for a way to wear that pride? Browse patriotic apparel and American heritage art in the shop, or explore the 250 Years of Independence collection as the flag heads toward a landmark birthday of its own.