The colors of the Flag may be thus explained: The red is for valor, zeal and fervency; the white for hope purity, cleanliness of life, and rectitude of conduct;
the blue, the color of heaven, for reverence to
God, loyalty, sincerity, justice and truth.
The star (an ancient symbol of India, Persia and Egypt) symbolized dominion and sovereignty, as well as lofty aspirations. The constellation of the stars within the union, one star for each state, is
emblematic of our Federal Constitution, which
reserves to the States their individual sovereignty
except as to rights delegated by them to the Federal Government.
The symbolism of the Flag was thus interpreted by Washington: “We take the stars from Heaven, the red from our mother country, separating it by white stripes, thus showing that we have separated from her, and the white stripes shall go down to posterity representing Liberty.”
It incarnates for all mankind the spirit of Liberty and the glorious ideal of human Freedom; not the freedom of unrestraint or the liberty of license, but an unique ideal of equal opportunity for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, safeguarded by the
stern and lofty principles of duty, of righteousness and of justice, and attainable by obedience to selfimposed laws. |
Floating from lofty pinnacle of American Idealism, it is a beacon of enduring hope, like the famous Bartholdi Statue of Liberty enlightening the World to the oppressed of all lands. It floats over a wondrous assemblage of people from every racial
stock of the earth whose united hearts constitute
an indivisible and invincible force for the defense and succor of the downtrodden.
It embodies the essence of patriotism. Its spirit is the spirit of the American nation. Its history is
the history of the American people. Emblazoned
upon its folds in letters of living light are the
names and fame of our heroic dead, the Fathers
of the Republic who devoted upon its altars their
lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor. Twice
told tales of National honor and glory cluster thickly about it. Ever victorious, it has emerged
triumphant from eight great National conflicts.
It flew at Saratoga, at Yorktown, at Palo Alto, at Gettysburg, Manila Bay, at Chateau-Thierry, at Iwo
Jima. It bears witness to the immense expansion
of our national boundaries, the development of our natural resources, and the splendid structure of our civilization. It prophesies the triumph of popular government, of civic and religious liberty and of national righteousness throughout the world. |