Flag Day, which recognizes the appropriation of the United States flag in 1777, is authoritatively celebrated on June 14. Flag Day is accepted to have begun in 1855 and was celebrated locally for decades before President Harry Truman marked an Act of Congress designating June 14 of every year as National Flag Day. On Friday, observances will happen at a few areas.
In Knoxville, a Flag Day function will be held at 11 a.m. June 15 at the Elks Club off Lonas Road, beside the Pilot Flying J headquarters.
Since 1942, the United States has been following the U.S. Flag Code, a long list of rules and guidelines for displaying and respecting the American flag. Before people display their American flag, ensure they know about flag etiquette. Here are some of the do’s and don’ts:
The do’s on Flag Day 2019
- To raise the flag, hoist it up “briskly,” yet lower it “ceremoniously.”
- The flag ought to be cleaned and mended when fundamental.
- In case people are raising other national flags as well, the U.S. flag ought to be raised first and lowered last.
- The U.S. flag ought to dependably be in the center and most elevated when shown with different flags.
- On the off chance that showing the flag off a staff, it ought to be shown flat.
- On the off chance that the flag is being appeared on a wall, door or window, the blue section, otherwise called the Union, ought to go to individuals’ left side when shown horizontally. In the event that they are showing it vertically, the Union should remain in the upper left-hand corner.
- On the off chance that individuals’ are covering a casket with the flag, put the Union at the upper right-hand corner.
- A flag ought to be shown distinctly from sunrise to sunset on buildings and on stationary flag staffs in the open. In any case, it might be shown 24 hours a day whenever illuminated.
The don’ts on Flag Day 2019
- The flag ought to never be shown with the stars down, except if as a signal of dire distress.
- The flag ought to never touch anything underneath it, for example, the floor, the ground, water or merchandise.
- The flag shouldn’t be shown outdoors during awful climate.
- Don’t ever carry the flag flat or horizontally; it ought to dependably be aloft and free.
- Don’t inappropriately dispose a flag. The city of Knoxville has a flag disposal program that gives different assets to where people can take their flag to be appropriately disposed. People can drop their flags off at the Solid Waste Management Facility at 1033 Elm St., any of the Knox County Senior Centers, and the recycling drop-off centers listed on their website.
- The flag ought not be utilized as a drapery, or to cover a desk, drape a platform, or for any decoration in general. Bunting of blue, white and red stripes is accessible for these reasons. The blue stripe of the bunting ought to be on the top.
- The flag ought to never have placed on it, or attached to it, any mark, insignia, letter, word, number, figure or drawing of any sort.
- The flag ought not be used for advertising and should not be embroidered, printed or otherwise impressed on cushions, handkerchiefs, napkins, boxes, or anything expected to be discarded after temporary use.
When should American flags fly at half-staff?
On Flag Day and Independence Day, the flag ought to be raised high, albeit a few events call for the flag to be shown at half-staff.
When raising the flag to be hung at half-staff, it ought to be raised to the highest point of the staff, then lowered.
Here are the half-staff rules, as per the U.S. Flag Code:
- The flag ought to be hung at half-staff during these occasions: 30 days after the demise of a present or previous president or president-elect; 10 days after the passing of a present VP, current or retired chief justice, or current speaker of the House of Representatives; from the day of death until the burial day of a partner justice of the Supreme Court, a secretary of an official or military department, a previous VP, the president pro tempore of the Senate, or the governor of a state, an area or ownership; and on the day of death and the next day for an individual from Congress.
- A few specific days likewise call for the flag to not be hung high. It’s at half-staff until early afternoon on Memorial Day; throughout the day Sept. 11, in honor of Patriot Day and in recognition of the 2001 terrorist attacks; Peace Officers Memorial Day, May 15 (except if it’s additionally Armed Forces Day); and Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, Dec. 7.
- The president can issue an official order for the flag to be flown at half-staff when a prominent individual passes on or a tragic occasion happens. For instance, after the recent Virginia Beach mass shooting, President Donald Trump issued a declaration that American flags ought to be flown at half-staff.
- Governors of U.S. states and territories have the ability to order all U.S. and state flags in their jurisdiction flown at half-staff in specific circumstances, too: the demise of a previous or current state official or an individual from the military who has passed on in active duty.
Fun American flag facts
- The flag was designed by Francis Hopkinson of New Jersey, a naval flag designer who was additionally a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
- What do the colors red, white and blue signify? As per custom and tradition, white signifies purity and innocence; red, hardiness and valor; and blue, vigilance, perseverance and justice.
- What is a canton? The blue field in the upper left corner of the flag.
- What is a halyard? The rope used to raise the flag. It’s additionally called a hoist rope.
- People most likely know who Betsy Ross is. Be that as it may, did they realize that the Betsy Ross House, which is currently a Philadelphia museum, asks its visitors to think about whether it’s “historical fact or well-loved fiction” that she sewed the first American flag?
