Etiquette of the flag
Congress summarized the following customs in 1942 for displaying the flag:
- When flown from a pole, the end of the flag should be able to fly freely. Do not secure it to a frame.
- Display the flag only during daylight in good weather. Take it down when it gets dark or if it starts to rain or snow. You may display it at night in good weather if it is lighted.
- Do not let the flag touch the ground, water, buildings or merchandise. Do not carry the flag in a parade by the edges or attached to a pole along the top.
- The flag should not be draped on a car or podium. Instead use red, white and blue bunting with the blue at the top.
- If the flag is used to cover a casket, the stars should be placed over the left shoulder. Remove the flag before lowering the casket into the grave.
- When displayed on a wall, the flag’s stars should be on the left as you view it.
- Do not use the flag for advertising a product and do not print or embroider the flag on anything designed for temporary use and discard.
- When the flag is no longer fit for duty – threadbare, faded, torn or dirty – it should be destroyed in a dignified manner, preferably by burning.
Source: National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution.
What the flags’ folds meant
In the Armed Forces, the flag is lowered nightly and folded in a precise order as part of a ritual to honor fallen soldiers. According to The American Legion, each fold represents a belief or ideal that has its roots in the founding of the United States. The following text is from The American Legion manual.
- 1st fold: A symbol of life.
- 2nd fold: A symbol of our belief in eternal life.
- 3rd fold: Made in honor and remembrance of the veteran departing our ranks and who gave a portion of life for the defense of our country to attain peace throughout the world.
- 4th fold: Represents our weaker nature.
- 5th fold: A tribute to our country.
- 6th fold: Stands for where our hearts lie.
- 7th fold: A tribute to our Armed Forces.
- 8th fold: A tribute to the one who entered into the valley of the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day, and to honor mother, for whom it flies on Mother’s Day.
- 9th fold: A tribute to womanhood.
- 10th fold: A tribute to father, for he, too, has given his sons and daughters for the defense of our country since he or she was first born.
- 11th fold: In the eyes of Hebrew citizens, represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon.
- 12th fold: In the eyes of a Christian citizen, represents an emblem of eternity. When completely folded, the stars are meant to remind of the National motto, “In God We Trust.”
Source: American Legion.
Sizing up the flag
- 13 – Stripes on the flag, one for each of the original 13 states.
- 50 – Stars on the flag since July 4, 1960, after Hawaii became a state.
- 26 – Changes made since the original flag, designed by Betsy Ross, was adopted in 1777.
- 15 – Stars and stripes on the flag after Vermont and Kentucky became states in 1795. The number of stripes reverted to the original 13 after the Flag Act of 1818. The number of stars continued to increase as more states joined the union.
- 63 – Percent of those surveyed who believe the U.S. Constitution should not be amended to ban flag desecration, according to this years report by the Freedom Forum First Amendment Center.
- 286 – Members of the House of Representatives who voted June 22 to pass a bill to outlaw desecration of the American flag. One hundred and thirty voted against it.
- 67 – Votes needed in the Senate to change the Constitution to ban desecration of the American flag. The Senate will vote on the amendment after the July Fourth holiday.
- 38 – Number of states that, within seven years, would have to ratify the constitutional amendment for it to take effect.
Sources: First Amendment Center, USA Today and American Legion.
- Flag Day – American flag was authorized by Congress on June 14, 1777.
- “Old Glory” – Name given to the flag on Aug. 10, 1831, by Capt. William Driver, a Massachusetts shipmaster, after he was given a flag as a gift before one of his voyages..
- Stars – Symbolize heaven and the goal all men have of striving for it.
- Stripes – Represent rays of light from the sun.
- Red – Represents hardiness and valor.
- White – Represents purity and innocence.
- Blue – Represents vigilance, perseverance & justice.
Source: American Legion.
Key dates in flag desecration
Laws to protect the flag emerged in the late 1800s. But since 1989, the Supreme Court has forced lawmakers to balance protecting free speech with protecting the flag. Is a change in sight? Fueled by wartime patriotism, Congress has taken up the debate again, with a constitutional amendment to prohibit desecration of the flag. The history of the struggle for the stars and stripes:
1897 to 1932. A strong push by patriotic groups for antidesecration laws ultimately led to the amendments in all 48 states. The laws outlawed, according to Oakland University professor Robert Justin Goldstein, “attaching anything to or placing marks on the flag; using the flag in any manner for advertising purposes; and physically or even verbally ‘harming’ flags in any way, including ‘publicly’ mutilating, trampling, defacing, defiling, ‘defying’ or casting ‘contempt,’ either ‘by word or act,’ upon the flag.”
1907, Halter v. Nebraska. The Supreme Court upheld a Nebraska law dealing with the use of the flag for commercial interests, 8-1. The case was over selling beer with pictures of the flag on the label.
1969, Street v. New York. By a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court overturned Sidney Street’s conviction for flag desecration after he had burned an American flag on a New York street corner. He had not been tried for burning the flag, but for speaking defiantly about it, which the court found unlawful. The Court overturned two other convictions of flag desecration surrounding the Vietnam War.
1989, Texas v. Johnson. The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that a Texas law was unconstitutional. The court ruled in favor of Gregory Lee Johnson after he burned an American flag in Dallas, saying “no disturbance to the peace actually occurred or threatened to occur because of Johnson’s burning of the flag.” This case overturned a 1968 federal statute and flag protection laws in 48 states.
1990, U.S. v. Eichman. The Flag Protection Act of 1989 called for one year in jail and a fine for anyone who desecrates the flag. However, the Supreme Court found this to be unconstitutional, saying “the Act still suffers from the same fundamental flaw (as Johnson): it suppresses expression out of concern for its likely communicative impact.”
Sources: Robert Justin Goldstein, First Amendment Center and the Supreme Court Collection of the Cornell University Law School.
