June 15 is Flag Day

Today marks Flag Day across the United States. We share with our readers this editorial published in the June 14, 1945 edition of the Honolulu Advertiser. ‘Our Flag’ was written by J.A. Tanner:

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One hundred sixty-eight years ago today the Continental Congress passed a resolution describing in detail what the flag of the United States should be. But, as is frequently the case in the acts of such bodies, inevitable changes in conditions were not anticipated, and while our flag in essentials is as described in the resolution, some details have been altered to make it conform to changed conditions.

The resolution was as follows: “The flag of the United States shall be thirteen stripes alternate red and white, that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.”

Although the flag was numerically representative of the states at the time the resolution was adopted, and there is historical evidence that a flag of this design was used at Fort Stanwix a few months afterward, there is also evidence that this design was not generally accepted. In May, 1779, Washington wrote the War Board, “It is not settled what is the standard of the United States.”

When the new states of Vermont and Kentucky were added, Congress enacted that the flag should have fifteen alternate red and white stripes and the union be fifteen stars in a blue field.

By 1818 it became evident that the number of stripes could not be made to conform to the number of states that were to be carved out of the public domain and the stripes were reduced to the original number, and Congress ordered that the number of stars should correspond to the number of states, a star to be added on the Fourth of July following the admission of a new state.

There was no definite arrangement of the stars until 1896 when it was ordered that they be placed in six rows.

The admission to the union in 1912 of Arizona and New Mexico, the last territories in continental United States, brought the number of states and, of course the number of stars in the flag, to 48, completing the rectangle of six rows of eight stars each.

Each of the outlying territories, Alaska and Hawaii and Portp Rico has ambitions to become the 49^th state and be represented on the flag as the 49^th star. It is also rumored that the Philippines would prefer being the 49^th state to being made an independent nation.

The war which has been fought to a victorious conclusion in Europe, and the one being fought in the Pacific, has deepened the reverence of our fighting men for our flag and the fine things for which it stands. Our flag, together with those of other democratic states, has brought new hope to millions of liberated peoples. It may be that these liberated people read a deeper meaning in the colors of our flag than we who have never been called upon to suffer because of being deprived of the things for which these colors stand, red for valor and zeal; white for hope, purity and right conduct; blue the color of heaven, reverence to God, loyalty, sincerity, justice and truth.

It is worthy of note that steps are being taken in Congress to make official the flag pledge which has been used for some time in the schools. It would be eminently fitting at this time of our country’s testing to renew our pledge of loyalty to an indivisible nation and to a flag which stands for liberty and justice to all.