5 Myths About the American Flag

Flag Day is a day to commemorate the adoption of the flag of the United States, which happened on June 14, 1777. As Flag Day approaches this Sunday, you might think you know all there is to know about the American flag. Well, you also might be surprised to hear that a lot of things you've always been told about the flag are wrong.

1
Betsy Ross didn't make the first flag
Betsy DID make flags in Philadelphia, within a few years after the design first came out in 1777. But the story about her making the first one didn't come out until 1870. There's never been any real evidence for it.
2
The colors don't symbolize American sacrifice
Officially, the colors of the American Flag don't symbolize anything at all. They were picked because the first flag of the American colonies had the same colors and before that, the British Union Jack.
3
It was never a tradition to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in Congress
They've only been reciting the Pledge it in the House for 25 years, and only since 1999 in the Senate. They started doing it for political reasons, during the Bush–Dukakis presidential campaign.
4
It's not illegal to burn the flag
This one is really surprising, right? People think burning the flag is illegal because no one pays attention to the Supreme Court. Flag burning USED TO be illegal, but the laws were struck down in 1989, when the Court decided flag burning should be protected as a form of free speech.
5
It's not patriotic to wear the flag on your clothes
The U.S. Flag Code says you're not supposed to sell or display anything that has an image of the flag on it, if the flag is a distinguishing mark on it. The Flag Code isn't enforceable by law, but it's the official guideline for how people are supposed to treat the flag. So you might THINK you're being patriotic by wearing it on your tank top, but the Flag Code says it's disrespectful.

Categories: Articles, Hawk Morning Show, Holidays, Lists