June 14, 2020 – A New Constellation

On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress passed a simple resolution, reading, “Resolved, that the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and while; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.” These simple words created a flag which has changed through the years to the fifty star, thirteen stripe flag we have today. Since my childhood, I have been a lover of flags and an amateur vexillologist.

To me, the flag of the United States symbolizes the ideas that our nation is built upon. Paraphrasing the Declaration of Independence, some of these ideas are:

• All people are created equal.
• All people are endowed with certain unalienable rights, including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
• To secure these rights, Governments are instituted among people, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

In 1787, the United States Constitution was ratified and came into effect. The preamble of this document talks about forming a more perfect union. To me, this means a country that is improving, learning from its mistakes and continually growing. It means that the process of building our nation is consistently unfinished and that it is all of our jobs to better our country through hard work. To quote President Andrew Shepherd in the film “The American President”, “America isn’t easy. America is advanced citizenship. You’ve gotta want it bad, ’cause it’s gonna put up a fight.” Let’s all continue working towards our more perfect union.

Today, I fly the flag of our nation to celebrate our shared values, in the fervent hope and belief that we will become better at ensuring that all people can realize the hope and promise of our nation.

On the flag pole is the the flag described in that 1777 resolution. It has 13 stripes and those thirteen stars representing the new constellation. On the porch hang the current (50 star) flag of the United States and the Star Spangled Banner, which has 15 stars and 15 stripes.