In the United States, the National Flag Day is celebrated on June 14. This date was chosen since June 14 was the day when the Second Continental Congress officially adopted the Stars and Stripes as the flag of the newly formed United States.


This happened over two centuries ago, in 1777 when the United States was still a budding nation struggling for sovereignty and independence from Europe. The Declaration of Independence had been brought forward less than one year earlier, on July 4, in 1776, and it wasn’t until 1783 that Britain finally accepted the United States as a new nation. When the Stars and Stripes was declared to be the official flag of a new nation, the United States was still at war with Britain and the formal adoption of a U.S. flag was a very strong symbol of freedom and independence.
Even though the Stars and Stripes have been the official U.S. flag since 1777, official Flag Day celebrations are of a much younger date. June 14 was not announced as National Flag Day by the president until 1916. According to the book “Kansas: a cyclopedia of state history” the city of Hartford celebrated Flag Day on June 14, 1861. The event focused on a praying for the success of the Federal arms and the continuation of the Union.

In June 1886, a schoolteacher named Bernard J. Cigrand wrote an article for the Chicago Argus newspaper where he promoted the idea of Flag Day celebrations. Cigrand is also believed to have urged students at the public school in Fredonia, Wisconsin, to celebrate Flag Day one year prior to his article, before he moved to Chicago. By 1894, the idea of a Flag Day had really caught on in Chicago and on June 14 over 300,000 children celebrated Flag Day in parks throughout the city. Another important person in the history of the National Flag Day is William T. Kerr, founder of the American Flag Day Association of Western Pennsylvania. William T. Kerr founded the association in 1888 and served as its national chairman for half a decade.

In 1916, Woodrow Wilson proclaimed June 14 as the official National Flag Day. Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States and was in office from 1913 to 1921. In 1949, President Harry S. Truman signed the Act of Congress which formally established the holiday. Flag Day is however not a federal holiday in the Untied States and it is at the President's discretion to officially proclaim the observance each year. For those interested in further details, a look into Title 36 Sec. 110 of the US Code is recommended since this is the official statute regarding Flag Day. When the National Flag Day is celebrated in the United States, United States Government officials will display the Stars and Stripes on Government buildings all over the country. Flag Day Parades are also held in many parts of the United States, including the city of Troy in New York State and Framingham, Massachusetts.


Even though Troy has less than 50,000 inhabitants, it hosts the biggest National Flag Day celebrations in the United States. The main event is the three mile long parade that runs from 4th and Main Street to 4th and Federal Street. When June 14 falls on a week day, the parade is often moved to the weekend to make the festivities more convenient. In 2006, the Flag Day parade was for instance held on Sunday, June 11th. A Flag Day committee is responsible for arranging the Flag Day celebrations in Troy and the parade is funded only by corporate sponsorship and public donations from the community.

In 2007, Troy will arrange its 40th continuous Troy Flag Day Parade. The parade is usually accompanied by a rich assortment of other merriments, such as jugglers and stilt walkers, live music performances and balloon sculpting for children.