For most Americans the flag is a cause for national pride and admiration. The "Stars and Stripes," as the flag is commonly called, helps to unify the country and to unite many different people from many different cultures into one united country. It is a source of national identity.
The design of the American flag has gone through several changes but the one which is used today is highly symbolic and cannot be confused with that of any other nation. The red and white stripes on the flag represent the original thirteen colonies and each white star set in a field of blue stands for a state. The first flag of the U.S. was raised in Cambridge, Mass. By George Washington on January 2, 1776.
As part of the celebration to mark the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America president Benjamin Harrison in 1892 called for patriotic exercises in schools. The Pledge of Allegiance was taken from a children's magazine. It was first recited by public school children as they saluted the flag during the national school Celebration held that year.
In 1942 Congress made the pledge part of its code for the use of the flag. Francis Bellamy is attributed with authorship and in 1954 the words "under God" were added by Congress.
In schools today around the country an average class day officially begins with the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. This is often proclaimed while the student faces the flag and places his right hand over his heart. The pledge must be recited with reverence and respect and from memory. The student must stand at attention as if he were a soldier and focus his eyes on the flag itself. To mumble the words or to slouch casually would register an attitude of disrespect. There is no classroom in which the flag is not displayed.
Likewise, most school assemblies begin with the same pledge. This pride in the flag is further recognized by celebrating Flag Day every year on June 14th. On this day the flag is prominently displayed from the porches of homes and from most public Federal buildings but it is not a legal holiday.
This respect for the flag as a symbol of our nation is further enhanced by the special care which is required in handling it whenever it is folded and stored away.
There are many rituals surrounding the manner in which the flag is handled and displayed. Even the folding of the flag follows a certain pattern. The flag is folded in such a way that it results in a triangle with the stars exposed in the blue background.
When removing the flag from its pole, it is important that the flag should not be permitted to touch the ground. There is such a reverence in the handling of the flag that a controversy arose several years ago concerning the willful burning of the flag as a form of protest. Some felt that to burn the flag in certain instances was permissible as a symbol of one's freedom, but most believed that such an act was an offense which violated this sacred symbol of American. Most recently a Bill was submitted to Congress making it a crime to desecrate the flag in any way. The flag is such a revered symbol of the country's identity that every year when resident immigrants become naturalized Americans, they are required to recite the pledge and salute the flag as part of the ceremony before being granted citizenship.