By Becky West

“I Pledge Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

Most people recite these words from rote memory. It is just a mechanical repetition of something that we learned in grade school. If you are one of those people, read the Pledge of Allegiance again, thinking about each phrase and what it means. Those words are powerful.

Alright. Now that that is done, let me ask you this. Who made the first American flag? You probably answered the same that I did. Betsy Ross, right? Well, maybe. And why is it called “The Star Spangled Banner” or “Old Glory?”

At www.usflag.org I found: “No one knows with absolute certainty who designed the first stars and stripes or who made it. Congressman Francis Hopkinson seems most likely to have designed it, and few historians believe that Betsy Ross, a Philadelphia seamstress, made the first one.”

If you search www.ushistory.org, however, you will find, “Betsy (Elizabeth Griscom Ross 1752-1836) would often tell her children, grandchildren, relatives, and friends of the fateful day when three members of a secret committee from the Continental Congress came to call upon her. Those representatives, George Washington, Robert Morris, and George Ross, asked her to sew the first flag. This meeting occurred in her home some time late in May 1776.”

Maybe Congressman Hopkinson designed the first flag, but I kind of like believing the idea that Betsy made the first flag. In my heart I’m still going to give Betsy credit for it.

There are several names for our flag. Apart from the official name which is, oddly, Flag of the United States; the most common nicknames are "Stars and Stripes", "Star-Spangled Banner" and "Old Glory."

Why the flag is called the “Stars and Stripes” is a no-brainer but how did it come to be known as “The Star Spangled Banner?” (According to Merriam Webster, the word “spangle” is “a small glittering object or particle.”) This nickname goes to the War of 1812.

“On Sept. 14, 1814, Francis Scott Key peered through clearing smoke to see an enormous flag flying proudly after a 25-hour British bombardment of Baltimore's Fort McHenry. Key was inspired to write a poem.” (www.francisscottkey.org). The name of the poem was “The Defence (original spelling) of Fort McHenry.”

The words from the poem “O say, does that Star - Spangled Banner yet wave, o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?” gave us the nickname for our flag. Eventually the poem was made into a song, the name was changed to “The Star Spangled Banner,” and it became our national anthem by a congressional resolution on March 3, 1931.

The term “Old Glory” comes from a ship’s captain named William Driver. “The original Old Glory was made and presented to the young Captain Driver by his mother and some young ladies of his native Salem, Massachusetts. The year is uncertain, but it was probably sometime in the 1820s. It is a large flag, measuring 10 feet by 17 feet, heavily constructed and designed to be flown from a ship's mast. It originally had 24 stars and, symbolic of its nautical purpose, includes a small anchor sewn in the corner of its blue canton.

“The captain was very pleased with his gift and kept it with him always. By most accounts, he first hailed the flag as “Old Glory” when he left harbor for a trip around the world in 1831.” (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

The Flag of the United States of America has a very long and interesting history. It has gone through many changes but “For more than 200 years, the American flag has been the symbol of our nation's strength and unity. It's been a source of pride and inspiration for millions of citizens. And the American Flag has been a prominent icon in our national history.

“Inspired by decades of state and local celebrations, Flag Day – the anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777 – was officially established by the Proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson on May 30th, 1916. While Flag Day was celebrated in various communities for years after Wilson’s proclamation, it was not until August 3rd, 1949, that President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14th of each year as National Flag Day.” (www. usa-flag-site.org.)

I can’t say what our flag means to me any better than holidayinsights.com: “Flag Day is a day for all Americans to celebrate and show respect for our flag, its designers and makers. Our flag is representative of our independence and our unity as a nation – one nation, under God, indivisible. Our flag has a proud and glorious history. It was the lead of every battle fought by Americans. Many people have died protecting it. It even stands proudly on the surface of the moon.

“As Americans, we have every right to be proud of our culture, our nation, and our flag. So raise the flag on June 14th and every day with pride!”