Every year Flag Day is held to honor the adoption of the United States flag on June 14, 1777 by resolution of the Second Continental Congress, an event honored in the observance across the country and 2023 is no different.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R) on Wednesday made sure the Capitol assumed a central role in events by ordering three flags be seen proudly atop the hill.
He took to social media to publicise the move and show Flag Day could be seen at the very heart of Washington, DC.
The inaugural Flag Day celebration took place in 1877, a century after the Continental Congress adopted the flag.
In 1949, President Harry Truman officially made Flag Day a day of solemn national observance.
The United States Flag Code dates back to 1942 when Congress provided guidelines for display and presentation of the nation’s most famous – and recognizable – symbol.
File/East Side School Children observe Flag Day, N.Y. in 1918. The students of P.S. 20, on Rivington St., participated. Veterans of other wars explained the significance of the flag to the children, practically all of whom are of foreign parentage. (HUM Images/Universal Images Group via Getty)
File/Hundreds of children form a human flag on the steps of the Capitol Building in Washington, DC, in connection with a huge Flag Day vesper service and pageant held under the auspices of the United States Flag Association in 1929. (Getty)
It notes the flag must not hang with stars down as they must be uppermost. Further instructions note:
- No flag should be flown above or to the right of the U.S. flag, except at the UN headquarters.
- Citizens are encouraged to fly the flag at any time, ideally from sunrise to sunset, unless there are special occasions or proper illumination is provided.
- When a flag becomes unserviceable or damaged, it should be respectfully disposed of.
- It is important to ensure that the flag never touches the ground, as it is a sign of disrespect.
Flag Day has now been celebrated for more than 100 years but since it has been adopted, there have been 27 official versions of the American flag.