On this day in 1955, the House held its first ceremony to honor the U.S. flag. It marked this day in 1777, when the Continental Congress passed an act that said: “Resolved: That the flag of the United States be made of 13 stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be 13 stars, white in a blue field,
representing a new constellation.”
Until President Howard Taft signed an executive order in 1912, neither the order of the stars, nor the proportions of the flag were set by law. As a result, flags that predated Taft’s order at times reflected unusual arrangements of stars and overall proportions that struck the fancy of individual flag-makers.
In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson designated June 14 national Flag Day. In 1949, President Harry S. Truman proclaimed that U.S. flags be displayed on all federal government buildings.
During the 1955 ceremony, House members sang “The Stars and Stripes Forever” as the colors were presented in the well of the House. Rep. Louis C. Rabaut (R-Mich.), who in 1954 had authored legislation that inserted the phrase “under God” into the Pledge of Allegiance,
linked the ceremony to the Cold War struggle against communism.
“What we do and say here, I pray, will make itself felt not only to our own citizenry, but to the rest of the world as well,” Rabaut said, adding: “We cannot afford to capitulate to the atheistic philosophies of godless men — we must strive to ever remind the world that this great nation has been endowed by a creator, and that this concept finds expression in our declared way of life.”
The U.S. Air Force Band and the Singing Sergeants performed Irving Caesar’s musical setting for “The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.” The ceremony concluded with a rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
SOURCE: OFFICE OF HISTORY AND PRESERVATION, CLERK OF THE U.S. HOUSE
Also, on this day in 1955, my parents held their first child for the first time.
A little baby girl named Marie!
Yep, that would be me...a Flag Day baby!
Happy Birthday to me!
Here's a peek at a much younger me...I look a little surprised in that middle photo. These photos are from a wonderful scrapbook that my mother made for me several years ago. She made one for each of her four children....someday I'd like to make something similar for each of mine.
Happy Flag Day to All!
