Archive for the ‘Patriotism’ Category
By Regenia G. Butcher
I would imagine that even before the ink on the Declaration of Independence had dried, the sentences: "Are we gonna have a flag? We gotta have a flag! Britain has a flag!" were echoed by members of the Continental Congress. But then, a flag is important. It is a symbol representing a group and their beliefs — a means of identification.
It has long been reported that in May of 1776, Betsy Ross sewed the first version of the flag we use today. The American flag has, of course, gone through several design transformations since then, as states were added to the nation and stars were added to the design.
Symbolism Abounding
Unique and appealing as the design is, I think our flag is also full of symbolism. To me, the red stripes indicate courage, blood and suffering. The white stripes mean truth, purity and open-mindedness. The word stripes, itself, is associated with oppressions, struggles, punishments and lessons learned. An enduring flag represents a state of serving or coming-of-age the hard way.