Today is Flag Day, a patriotic observance that dates back to a Wisconsin schoolteacher in 1885. He had his students observe this day in honor of June 14, 1777, the date the Continental Congress passed the Flag Act that created our national flag and outlined its design. The observance spread to other schools and communities and in 1916 President Woodrow Wilson made it a national observance through a proclamation. In 1949 an act of Congress made Flag Day official and President Harry Truman signed it.
No matter what crises America has faced over the past two centuries, whether foreign wars or domestic social and political strife, our flag has flown above it all, a symbol that freedom will prevail because our unity can stand any test. Today's special observance is a reminder of what we should do every day -- honor our flag for all that it has meant, means, and will mean to Americans and freedom-loving people everywhere.
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