Why Do We Celebrate Flag Day? A Reflection on June 14

In the United States, we celebrate our nation’s founding on the 4th of July. We have Memorial Day to honor soldiers who died in the service, and Veterans Day to honor all who served. And then, there’s Flag Day.

It’s not an official federal holiday, and barely remarked upon for many Americans. So, what is the purpose of Flag Day? Why have a day set aside just to honor the U.S. national flag?

To answer that, let’s look at the people who advocated to give Old Glory its own day of recognition.

Flag Day: A long time coming

Flag Day doesn’t have a single origin story – instead, a cluster of people, working over decades, finally brought the day to fruition. Its first big push came from 19th-century teachers and historians advocating for a day to recognize the flag annually on June 14,

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