Opinion: Flag Day rooted in freedom and equality – The Detroit News

Michael Warren Published 11:00 p.m. ET June 13, 2020

The streets are awash with protesters. Looting and arson dot our landscape. COVID-19 has killed over 100,000. Unemployment is pounding workers. And we are, of all things, supposed to celebrate the flag on June 14? Once an uncontroversial display of patriotism, you can no doubt envision the histrionic divides that celebrating our national emblem will likely bring. Would we really be surprised if Flag Day is marked by flag burnings?

Before those inclined to torch Old Glory do so, they might consider the origins of Flag Day it is deeply rooted in freedom and equality. On June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress approved a resolution establishing a uniform national flag. The Betsy Ross flag was born to represent the freest nation the earth had ever seen. Although it no doubt generated heartfelt feelings of patriotism, it was not revered.

The Civil War changed that. Fort Sumter was attacked, and the flag of the United States was torn asunder.

A visceral reaction of passionate patriotism took hold. Republican Unionist Jonathan Flynt Morris urged Charles Dudley Warner of the Hartford Evening Press to pen an editorial about the need to revere the flag; on June 10, 1861, Warner proposed that America establish a new Flag Day. The editorial sang: This flag is our dearest symbol of nationality. It stands for civil liberty on this continent. To keep it full high advanced is our highest pride; to strike at it is to arouse all the passion of the nation to defend it, and to punish the perpetrators of the outrage.

Flag Day was born in a spirit of saving the Union and freeing the slaves.

Like most holidays, Flag Day slowly grew. Federal recognition waited until May 30, 1916, through a proclamation from President Woodrow Wilson.Wilsons magnificent proclamation explained that Flag Day is a day upon which we should direct our minds with a special desire of renewal to thoughts of the ideals and principles of which we have sought to make our great Government the embodiment.

Finally, on Aug. 3, 1949, President Harry S. Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14 of each year as National Flag Day.

An American flag flies outside the Department of Justice in Washington.(Photo: Andrew Harnik, AP)

Flag Day exemplifies unity the brainchild of Republicans and instituted by Democrats. It reminds people of our founding first principles declared in our Declaration of Independence and embedded in our Constitution. The first principles include equality, limited government, the rule of law, unalienable rights, the Social Compact, and the right to alter or abolish oppressive government.

Today we are painfully reminded that America did not fulfill those first principles for all in 1776 or even today. Yet it was the belief in those first principles that inspired generations of patriots to move us closer to their fulfillment. Abolitionism, womans suffrage, and the civil rights struggles all called upon the first principles to push the country toward the arc of justice.

Demands for equality, the equal application of the rule of law, and protecting the unalienable rights of everyone is at the heart of the protests sparked by George Floyds death. Unlike any other country in the world, our flag stands for ideals ideals we should all embrace. Our flag is not a symbol of oppression, but one representing the most free nation on earth an indispensable stepping stone to the expansion of liberty on the world stage.

This is why Patriot Weeks celebration of a different historical flag each day of the week is so vital:Sept. 11, the anniversary of the terrorist attacks; Sept. 17, the anniversary of the signing of the Constitution; the current U.S. Flag;the Betsy Ross Flag;the Suffragette Flag;and the Fort Sumter Flag. They tell the story of America and how the battle for liberty and freedom is an unceasing struggle.

More than ever, this Flag Day we should all proudly display Old Glory and rededicate ourselves to the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and our first principles.

Hon. Michael Warren is an Oakland County Circuit Court Judge and co-founder of Patriot Week (www.PatriotWeek.org) with his then 10 year old daughter Leah.

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