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This Sunday, Americans celebrate Flag Day — and it deserves more attention than it typically gets.
Flag Day doesn’t draw the crowds of Memorial Day or the fireworks of Independence Day. But what it represents is just as important as either of those occasions. The flag of the United States is not just a piece of cloth. It is a symbol of everything that makes this country worth defending — our Constitution, our Declaration of Independence, our rule of law, and the free enterprise system that has made America the most prosperous nation in the history of the world.
The flag we know today — fifty stars and thirteen stripes — hasn’t always looked this way. The first unofficial American flag was the Grand Union Flag, which kept the Union Jack where the stars would eventually go. That changed on June 14th, 1777, when the Second Continental Congress passed the Flag Resolution, establishing for the first time the white stars on a blue field. That flag was raised by the Continental Army at the Middlebrook New Jersey Encampment — a banner of a brand new nation stepping boldly into the great American experiment.
Nearly two hundred and fifty years later, Old Glory represents something those colonial soldiers could only dream of — a constitutional republic that has endured, flourished, and remained the beacon of freedom for the entire world.
But here’s what I want to say directly to parents today. Flag Day is not just a history lesson. It’s a reminder that patriotism is taught — and that the teaching starts at home. We’ve all seen young people at ballgames who stay seated when the National Anthem plays. That’s not just a cultural problem. That’s a parenting opportunity that was missed somewhere along the way.
Schools are quietly cutting back on the Pledge of Allegiance. Some have dropped it entirely. You cannot outsource the teaching of patriotism to institutions that may not share your values. That responsibility belongs to us.
So this Flag Day, take a few minutes. Explain the thirteen stripes and the fifty stars. Talk about why we stand for the Anthem. Teach your children what it means to honor a symbol — because when they learn to respect the flag, they learn to respect what it stands for.
Join us in remembering and honoring our rich American heritage. Sign up for our emails at PhyllisSchlafly.com, and join us again for the Phyllis Schlafly Report.
