FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HONORING OLD GLORY ON FLAG
June 14 Marks the 230th Birthday of the
MOUNT LAUREL, NJ, JUNE 11,
2007 – The Flag Manufacturers
Association of America (FMAA) proudly celebrates the 230th birthday
of the U.S. flag on Flag Day, June 14, and encourages all Americans to join in
the celebration and honor our nation’s great symbol by flying their U.S. flag.
The national flag we are
familiar with today was adopted
4, 1960 following the inclusion of
United States of
. This flag was a descendant of an
original flag – the flag that was born within a year of American Independence.
June 14, 1777 the Founding Fathers
first symbol with just 28 words in a jewel-like message: “The Flag of the
be 13 stripes, alternate red and
white, that the
Union be 13 stars, white on a
blue field representing a new constellation.” The story that
invented this design at the
home of his friend, seamstress Elizabeth Griscom Ross, in June of 1776 is now considered fiction; nonetheless, the “Betsy Ross”
flag, with the 13 stars in a circle, still carries her name.
flag approved by Congress on
the first Flag Day,
1777, had the 13 stars in a double-cross pattern that alluded to
the British flag. It was probably designed by a New Jersey Congressman, Francis
Hopkinson – although Congress never granted him the “Quarter Cask of the Public
Wine” that he requested for his service. In 1818, a Congressional Act decreed
that the stars, one to be added for each new state, be arrayed in a series of
rows. This eventually resulted in the 50-star flag that has been in use since
Union in 1959.
The idea of an annual day
specifically celebrating the flag is believed to have first originated in 1885.
BJ Cigrand, a school teacher in
arranged for the pupils to observe June 14 (the 108th anniversary of
the official adoption of the stars and stripes) as ‘Flag Birthday’.
Inspired by three decades of
state and local celebrations, Flag Day – the anniversary of the Flag Resolution
of 1777 – was officially established by the Proclamation of President Woodrow
May 30, 1916.
While Flag Day was celebrated in various communities for years after
Wilson's proclamation, it
was not until
August 3, 1949
that President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14th of each year as National Flag Day.
While flying the flag is an
important part of observing Flag Day, FMAA wants to ensure the flags proudly
displayed are true symbols of patriotism. When raising Old Glory for all to
see, Americans are encouraged to look for the FMAA Certification Seal.
In 2005, FMAA launched its
“Certified Made in the
certification program, designed to ensure that all American flags purchased are
made in the
that are domestic in origin and that all processes involved in its manufacture
were completed in
labor. The FMAA monitors and requires re-certification from its member
manufacturers every year.
law requires every flag be labeled with its
"country of origin." Those designated as "Made in USA" may
indeed be true to their name, however only those bearing the FMAA Certification
seal are guaranteed to adhere to the standards and continued compliance as
monitored by a professional association and its domestic members.
The Flag Manufacturers
Association of America is a non-profit trade association, established in 2003,
dedicated to educating and promoting the quality, variety, and proper use of
flags manufactured in the
For more information on the
Flag Manufacturers Association of America, contact:
15000 Commerce Parkway, Suite C, Mt.
Laurel, NJ 08054; Phone: 856-439-0500; Fax: 856-439-0525; Email: email@example.com or visit www.fmaa-usa.com.
# # #
Phone: (856) 439-0500 ext 4420