Flag Day Belongs to America — Not to Any Party

Honoring the flag as a symbol of American unity, citizenship, and shared purpose — above party, beyond politics.
Every June 14, Americans are invited to pause and honor the flag of the United States. Not a party flag. Not a campaign banner. Not a protest prop. The American flag.

Regardless of policy preference or political lean, one thing should unite us: under this flag, America gives us the liberty to disagree, and the blessing to live together in peace and prosperity. That is the American experience.

Flag Day marks the anniversary of June 14, 1777, when the Second Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes as the official flag of the United States. The original resolution declared that the flag would have thirteen stripes, alternating red and white, and thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing “a new constellation.” That phrase still matters. America was not merely declaring a design pattern. It was declaring that thirteen separate colonies had become something new: united states under one national symbol.

The thirteen stripes still represent those original colonies. The fifty stars now represent the fifty states. Red, white, and blue have come to symbolize valor, purity, vigilance, perseverance, and justice. But more than anything, the flag represents union. It represents the idea that we are one nation even when we disagree, one people even when we argue, and one Republic even when politics gets ugly — which, let’s be honest, is not exactly a rare occurrence these days.

Flag Day’s history should remind us of that unity.

At the national level, Flag Day was first formally recognized by a Democratic president, Woodrow Wilson, in 1916. Wilson called the flag “the emblem of our unity, our power, our thought and purpose as a nation.” That is not partisan language. That is American language.

Then, in 1949, Congress made June 14 a permanent national observance. President Harry S. Truman, another Democrat, signed the legislation into law on August 3, 1949. Truman’s proclamation asked Americans to honor the flag by displaying it at their homes and other suitable places, giving thanks for the privileges of citizenship, and reflecting on the obligations that come with citizenship.

That last part is important. Flag Day is not only about rights. It is about duties. Citizenship is not a spectator sport. Freedom does not maintain itself. A Republic is not preserved by hashtags, slogans, or complaining from the cheap seats. It is preserved by citizens who understand that liberty comes with responsibility.

And here is another point worth remembering: since Flag Day became a national observance, presidents from both major political parties have continued to honor it. Republicans and Democrats have issued proclamations. They have asked Americans to fly the flag. They have reminded the country that the Stars and Stripes belong to all Americans.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower, a Republican, signed legislation on Flag Day in 1954 adding the words “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance. President Ronald Reagan later called Americans to renew appreciation for the flag and its place in our national heritage. President George W. Bush honored Flag Day after the attacks of September 11, when the flag became a visible symbol of grief, courage, unity, and defiance. President Barack Obama continued the tradition by calling on Americans to display the flag with pride and ceremony. More recently, presidents from both parties have continued issuing Flag Day proclamations.

That is how it should be.

Flag Day should be one of those rare civic moments when Americans can put down the political clubs and remember that there is still something larger than party. The flag does not belong to Republicans. It does not belong to Democrats. It does not belong to activists, bureaucrats, politicians, celebrities, or whichever outrage machine happens to be screaming the loudest this week.

It belongs to the American people.

It belongs to the veteran who carried it overseas. It belongs to the firefighter who raised it from rubble. It belongs to the immigrant who sees it as a promise. It belongs to the schoolchild learning the Pledge. It belongs to the families who fold it at a funeral. It belongs to the citizens who still believe this country is worth defending, improving, and preserving.

That is why using Flag Day for anything other than honoring the American flag misses the point. Worse, it divides what should be unifying.

There are 364 other days in the year to fight over politics. Believe me, we seem to use every one of them. But Flag Day should be different. This day should call us back to the simple truth represented by the Stars and Stripes: fifty states, one Republic, one national banner, one shared inheritance.

The American flag has flown over battlefields and ballparks, schoolyards and courtrooms, small-town parades and military cemeteries. It has been raised in victory, lowered in mourning, folded with reverence, and carried by men and women who knew its meaning was not cheap.

The flag is not perfect because America has never been perfect. But it represents the enduring promise that free people can govern themselves, correct their mistakes, defend their liberties, and remain united under a constitutional Republic. That is no small thing. In human history, that is the exception, not the rule.

So this Flag Day, raise it proudly.

Raise it at your home. Raise it at your business. Raise it at your church, school, farm, shop, campsite, or front porch. Teach your children what the stars and stripes mean. Remember the citizens and soldiers who defended it. Remember that being American is not merely a legal status. It is a civic inheritance and a personal responsibility.

Flag Day should not divide us. It should remind us who we are.

One nation under God.

And remember the true meaning of that final word in our Pledge:

Indivisible.

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Sources:

Flag Day commemorates the Continental Congress adopting the Stars and Stripes on June 14, 1777, and federal law now recognizes June 14 as Flag Day under 36 U.S.C. § 110.

President Woodrow Wilson formally recognized Flag Day in 1916, calling the flag an emblem of national unity and purpose.

President Harry S. Truman signed the congressional legislation making Flag Day a permanent observance on August 3, 1949.

Truman’s 1949 proclamation asked Americans to display the flag and reflect on both the privileges and obligations of citizenship.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the bill adding “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance on June 14, 1954.

Ronald Reagan proclaimed 1986 the “Year of the Flag,” urging Americans to renew appreciation for the flag and its relationship to American heritage.
https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/archives/speech/proclamations-may-12-1986

Ronald Reagan honored Flag Day in a 1985 ceremony in Baltimore, reminding Americans that honoring the flag also honors the men and women who fought and died for it.
https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/archives/speech/remarks-flag-day-ceremony-baltimore-maryland

Ronald Reagan’s 1988 Flag Day proclamation urged Americans to observe Flag Day and National Flag Week by flying the Stars and Stripes from their homes and other suitable places.
https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/archives/speech/proclamation-5824-flag-day-and-national-flag-week-1988

George W. Bush proclaimed June 14, 2002, as Flag Day and the week beginning June 9, 2002, as National Flag Week, during the first Flag Day observance after the September 11 attacks.
https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2002/06/20020613-12.html

George W. Bush’s 2008 Flag Day proclamation urged Americans to fly the Stars and Stripes from their homes and other appropriate places.
https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2008/06/20080606-12.html

Barack Obama’s 2014 Flag Day proclamation directed federal officials to display the flag on government buildings and urged Americans to observe Flag Day and National Flag Week by displaying the flag.
https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2014/06/06/presidential-proclamation-flag-day-and-national-flag-week-2014

Barack Obama’s 2016 Flag Day proclamation called on Americans to observe Flag Day and the days through Independence Day with pride and due ceremony.
https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2016/06/10/presidential-proclamation-flag-day-and-national-flag-week-2016